As Twilight Fades

Twilight’s earliest memories were of the library. She’d always loved to read. Picture books, chapter books, text books, the content didn’t matter. Only the glorious act itself was important. It was fitting that Twilight’s first memories upon waking were of the Canterlot Library.

She found herself walking through the dark halls. No, not walking, sneaking. She hurried through the halls, making as little noise as possible, turning her head every which way.

She didn’t know what she was looking for. She’d been with her friends in the Crystal Empire. What seemed like seconds later, she was back in Canterlot. She needed to be quiet, but she had no idea why. There was only one thing she was certain of, but she didn’t even know what the source of that certainty was.

She didn’t have much time. The clock was ticking, and any wasted seconds could cost lives. How much time did she have? She didn’t know that either.

She came to the barred door of the Starswirl the Bearded wing and cut the lock with a burst of energy. The door swung easily and she ducked inside.

Using only the slight glow from her horn, Twilight scanned the shelves. She shifted old scrolls aside and choked on clouds of dust, searching for whatever it was she’d come for.

She came across a familiar scroll after several minutes, but something told her it wasn’t what she’d been looking for. It was a single use spell for traveling back in time. Not that it could be used to change anything. She tucked it into her saddlebags anyway.

“That scroll is worth more than most ponies make in a year,” somepony said from the darkness between two shelves. Twilight jumped, heart racing, and turned the light from her horn to the shadows. A tall pony looked down at her, pristine coat shining in the dim light.

“Oh, princess. It’s just you,” Twilight said, sighing with relief. She took a second to catch her breath and smiled up at her beloved mentor.

“Just me?” the princess asked, eyebrow arched. “I really hope you weren’t planning on stealing that.”

Twilight frowned at the tone. This wasn’t the first time Celestia had caught her in the Starswirl the Bearded wing. Why did the princess seem angry? “I wasn’t going to steal it,” Twilight said, with a nervous laugh. “I was just borrowing it. This is a library, after all.”

“I suppose,” the princess said. “What’s your name?”

Twilight hesitated. “My- my name?” The princess nodded. “It’s me, Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twilight,” Celestia repeated, as though testing the name. “I should have known that part of the prophecy was literal.”

“Prophecy? Princess, what’s going on?”

Celestia stepped forward, causing Twilight to take an involuntary step back. “There is a prophecy of your coming, Twilight Sparkle. I’ve seen your face many times, and I am not happy to see it now.”

“What? There can’t be a prophecy about me!” Twilight objected. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I admit, you don’t strike me as evil,” the princess said.

“Evil?” Twilight squeaked in surprise. “Oh, nononono! I’m not evil! Really. Princess Celestia, it’s me, Twilight.”

“Yes, you’ve said that already.” Celestia frowned thoughtfully. “You certainly don’t look like a threat, but sneaking into the castle and stealing from me don’t help your case any. I’m sorry, Twilight, but I can’t take any chances. You’ll have to come with me until we can sort things out.”

“I can’t. I don’t have much time,” Twilight said. “I have to...” she trailed off uncertainly.

“Yes? Have to what?”

“I don’t know, but it’s important.”

“I see,” Celestia said. “If you don’t come peacefully, I’ll have to call for the guards.”

“Please don’t do that princess. I don’t have time for this.”

“Guards!”

“No,” Twilight said, panic bubbling up in her chest. Her heart began to pound as quick hoofsteps echoed down the halls. Something else came with the panic, a feeling of sickening energy burning through her. Green fire seared through her mind as her fear overflowed. “No!”

*****

Twilight opened her eyes. Everything was sideways for some reason. It took her a moment to realize she’d fallen. She pushed herself up, wincing as a wave of nausea hit her. After shaking her head to clear it, she opened her eyes again.

Everything was still sideways. Bookshelves had toppled like dominoes. Scrolls laid scattered on the floor. In the center of the mess, with broken shelves all around her, was Princess Celestia. The princess’s wing was pinned under her, bent at an odd angle.

Guards were standing in the doorway, mouths gaping. At the front of the small group was Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor. He broke the silence first. “Princess!”

All at once the guards rushed toward their fallen princess, carelessly trampling priceless scrolls. Twilight stared, eyes glued on the princess, confusion and fear at war in her head. She took a hesitant step forward.

Her brother turned toward her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Twilight hopped back, horn glowing in panic, and a moment later she was running frantically through the streets of Canterlot. Her horn glowed again as another teleportation spell began to carry her even further away.

*****

“Spike, what are you still doing up?” Rainbow asked, walking into her living room. It was early morning, a few hours before the princess was due to raise the sun. Dash and her friends had been given the Elements of Harmony to keep with them and sent home in a personal chariot.

“I couldn’t sleep,” the baby dragon said, sliding off the couch and onto the floor of Dash’s cloud house. He’d stopped worrying about falling through after a few days, once it was clear the princess’s cloud walking spell wouldn’t wear off. Now he never even thought about the distance to the hard ground below.

“Every time the princess asks you all to go to canterlot, it’s because some big bad monster they seal away a thousand years ago is back, and you have to beat it. So what is it this time? A seven headed dragon with laser eyes? A magical chimera that wants to eat all the ponies in Equestria?” Spike glanced over his shoulder and added in a more subdued voice, “It isn’t zombie ponies, is it?”

“Please, like we couldn’t handle a couple of zombies. Those things move so slow.” Dash shook her head. “Nah, this time it’s just a unicorn.”

“Just a unicorn? Why does the princess need your help with one unicorn?”

Dash shrugged. “Maybe the princess wants us to use the elements to turn her good, like we did with Nightmare Moon.” She hopped onto the couch and folded her forelegs behind her head. “Whoever she is, we’ll beat her easy.”

She watched Spike move around the room, tidying up. It was a habit he’d picked up any time he didn’t want to go to bed. As long as he looked busy, he could usually buy himself a few minutes.

Dash had learned most of his habits in the past two years, since he’d come to live with her. She hadn’t been happy with the idea at first. She liked having the place to herself, but the princess needed a way to stay in contact with the elements. Her house had been cleaner lately, and she’d never really been much of a cook. The baby dragon had started to grow on her.

“Hey, Spike, remember when you first came to Ponyville?”

“Yeah,” Spike answered, straightening a pile of magazines. “It was during the summer sun festival.”

“Yeah. I was just thinking, you heard about Nightmare Moon from a book, didn’t you?”

Spike paused, eyebrows furrowing in thought, “Uh, yeah, I think so. It was a few years ago, but I remember reading a reference guide on predictions and prophecies.” He shook his head. “You’d think I’d be able to remember something like that better.”

“Do you know if the Ponyville library has a copy?”

“I think so. Why?”

“There’s something I want to check out tomorrow.” Dash reached out and brushed his claws away from the stack of magazines as he moved to straighten it again. “Now go to bed already.”

Spike sighed. “Fine. Goodnight.”

“‘Night,” Dash answered.

*****

Twilight’s entire body ached from sleeping on the cold ground of the Everfree Forest. Her mane was horribly tangled and her coat was streaked with mud. She moved quietly through Ponyville. It was just before sunrise, and not many ponies were about to see her.

When she'd woken up, she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and wait for the nightmare to be over, but she knew she couldn't do that. If she wanted things to return to normal, she'd have to fix them herself. To that end, she was doing what she did best: research.

The Golden Oaks Library looked the same as ever. Warm, comforting, like home. The front door was locked tight. With a quick glance over her shoulder, Twilight’s horn flashed and she was inside.

The library looked like it had when she’d first moved in. Her telescope was missing, as were a dozen little touches she’d added over the past two years. She felt herself drawn upstairs out of some grim sense of curiosity.

Her bedroom was stacked with dusty boxes along the walls. All of her stuff was gone. Even the bed that had been there when she’d moved in was nowhere to be found.

Twilight turned back toward the door, eager to find her book and get out.

“Here it is,” Spike said downstairs. “Predictions and Prophecies.”

Twilight jumped, shoving a hoof in her mouth to keep from shouting.

“Alright, see if there’s anything on a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight recognized Rainbow Dash’s voice, slurred with the usual tiredness she’d expect at the early hour. Twilight edged forward to peek down on them from the top of the stairs.

Spike was holding the book in one hand, rifling through the pages as Dash sat yawning.

“Nope, no mention of her,” Spike said finally.

“Alright, try the end of harmony,” Dash suggested.

Spike flipped through the pages and answered a minute later, “Forty-seven entries.”

“Ugh. Okay, how about a ruler in the North?”

Spike flipped through the index again. “Hey, here’s something.”

“Great, what’s it say?”

Spike turned to the proper page. “Let’s see. There’s a lot of speculation on it, uh, do they have the full prophecy?” He turned to the next page. “Aha, found it.”

“Great, let’s hear it.”

Spike cleared his voice. “On the longest night, Twilight bridges day and night.”

“Ugh, puns,” Dash said, rolling her eyes.

It must be talking about Nightmare Moon’s return. I did help reunite Clestia and Luna, Twilight thought.

“A pony bearing magic of the elements will rise to strike down a great power,” Spike read.

Still no problem, Twilight thought. I am the bearer of the element of magic, and we did use them to beat Discord.

“Yeah,” Dash said, “the princess mentioned that. She said Twilight is a unicorn as powerful as the Elements of Harmony.”

What? That’s not what it means at all!

“Wait, like, all five at the same time?” Spike asked.

“Yeah.”

Five? There’s six elements! What the hay is going on here?

“Fear and doubt follow her through even the happiest of days,” Spike continued.

Fear and doubt? That part must be talking about Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding.

“Wow, sounds like a nice mare,” Dash said. “What’s next?”

“Through dark spells and terrible traps, she will restore the leader in the North.”

Dark spells? He must be talking about... Twilight trailed off, eyes closing as she shook her head. Sombra! That’s right, that’s what we were doing in the crystal empire. He had all those traps, and then we helped Cadence take her spot as the Crystal Princess. Twilight almost laughed with relief. This entire prophecy is a big misunderstanding. I knew it couldn’t be serious.

“Last part,” Spike said. “In the final hour, with power greater than ever before, she will tear the world asunder and strike harmony from time itself.”

“Dang,” Dash said with a whistle.

“What?” Twilight asked, blinking in shock.

Dash and Spike turned to look up at her.