"Oh, Celestia. What have I done to deserve this?"
Twilight looked at the ground below her, or at least, she tried to. She couldn't clearly see the thorny brambles that covered the ground below her, but she knew that they were there. Just waiting for her. Invitingly rustling in the breeze as if they were waving to her. As if they were asking her to come to them. They knew she was going to come. Sooner or later...
"I'm sorry, Princess Celestia. I didn't mean for it to end this way... I was just upset." Tears rolled down Twilight's cut and bleeding cheeks as she remembered their conversation.
"Twilight Sparkle? My faithful student, where have you gone?" Princess Celestia's silky voice reached her ears. She wiped away the tears and quickly tried to shove the broken vase under the rug. The sun regent looked at her disapprovingly. "I'm not upset about the vase, Twilight. It is easily mended." The shattered pieces of pottery glowed white and the vase was suddenly whole again. Twilight blushed.
"I'm sorry Princess. I shouldn't have thrown such a tantrum. Whatever a princess says is whatever you do," She could feel a few hot tears threatening to present themselves to the princess, "I just wish I could go visit sometimes..."
"Twilight, you know why I insisted you come back here with me-"
"No! Actually, Princess. I don't. You never told me why you forced me to abandon my friends!" Her eyes were cold and hard as they stared at her mentor. Never had she shown such anger to the Princess of the Day. Celestia recoiled ever so slightly. "It wouldn't be so bad if you would just let me visit them." Celestia nuzzled her student softly.
"Twilight. The Elements of Harmony are great but dangerous gifts. Especially Magic. It is unstable, and you must learn to properly control you emotion before you go back to your friends, or you risk hurting them." She raised herself to her full height. "I cannot allow you to be around them until I am sure your magic is stable enough."
"But...but...my magic IS stable! I haven't shot off any discharges for months! Please, just let me visit my friends."
"Twilight, you and I both know that your happiness at seeing your friends would be a much stronger emotion than any you experience here at the castle, therefor-" Twilight stomped her hooves in anger.
"No! I am going to see them! You can't stop me!" The purple unicorn galloped out of her study, tears streaking her cheeks...
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Celestia. I didn't know..." Twilight gripped the wet, slippery branch for dear life, knowing that if she let go, it was all over. "We were all so happy..."
"Twi'! Ya came back!" Applejack cheered. The others cried out in joy. They all hugged. "We though y'all had abandoned us."
"I'd never abandon my friends, and I will never leave you guys again." Twilight suppressed the power in her horn, brought forth by all the happiness inside her. "Never."
"They threw parties. We had fun. I thought it would last, Princess. I thought we would be okay," Twilight's grip on the branch was slipping as she spoke, "but we weren't. I forgot to control myself..."
"Twilight, darling, your horn..." Twilight looked up from her punch. Rarity looked paler than normal, if that was possible. Concern flooded Twilight's mind. She forgot what was happening around her.
"What about my horn? What's wrong with it, Rarity?" Even as Twilight vocalized the question, a familiar sensation in her horn began. She knew what was happening. "Oh, no..." She looked around at the crowd of ponies around her. They were all in danger. "Everypony needs to get as far away from me as possible."
The crowd retreated from her, except a few ponies. They came running towards her. Her friends. Her closest friends. They were trying to help her. "What's going on, Twilight?" Rainbow asked, "And what is up with your horn?" Tears welled up in Twilight's eyes.
"No. You need to get away..."
"There's wasn't enough time, and I knew it. Celestia, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I'm lucky I could teleport, or my friends would be..." She shuddered, slipping down the branch even more. The brambles at the bottom of the over thirty foot drop rustled at her.
"I didn't think. I don't know where I am. No pony is coming to look for me. When I tripped and fell, I thought I was dead, but now I've just had some extra time to think. My magic's depleted. Celestia, I'm sorry. None of this should have happened." Twilight's hooves slipped off the end of the branch, and she could do nothing to stop herself from falling.
She had failed them, all of them, and now she was paying for it.
Author's Note
This is my first ever one shot. Usually I have a really complicated plot to look after and tie up, but this seemed so simple. So easy. I read through it a couple of times and I still like it, so it's doing pretty good on my scale...
The next chapter is an alternate, happier ending, but you can stop here if you want.
Wow, the more I look at this, the more I feel that everything else I have ever written is crap.
Alternate Ending
Just as Twilight began to fall, silently for she had no will to scream, she heard a noise. Hoof steps. Galloping hoof steps. Somepony was out here. "Heeeelp!" She cried, hoping that, somehow, they could save her. A blue blur rammed into her, effectively picking her up and tossing her up onto a nearby ledge to safety.
"Twilight!" A chorus of voices sighed, relieved. Twilight Sparkle looked up into the faces of her friends, a new being beginning to grow inside her. How they had found her, she didn't know, but she did know that, no matter what, they were going to be there for her, just as they were there for her now.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't want that to happen. I am still supposed to be getting lessons from Princess Celestia on how to control that, but...but I ran away and didn't finish. I just wanted to see you guys..." Tears spilled freely down Twilight's cheeks as Rarity preformed a few simple healing spells. The cuts and bruises covering her body dissapeared.
"We know ya didn't mean it, Sugarcube, but maybe a few more of the Princess's lessons wouldn't hurt..." Applejack put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"I know. I have to go back... I can't risk doing that again. What if I had lost you guys?" Twilight hugged all of them. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." Pinkie started crying.
"Twilight's leaving again?" the pink pony bawled. Twilight calmed her.
"Don't worry, Pinkie Pie. I'll come back soon. I promise." Twilight was encompassed in a group hug.
I'll never fail you again.
