Consequencesby IndieDKChaptersThe LetterWhyImpossibleLostThe Letter“Dear Twilight Sparkle, you must come to Canterlot immediately. I must discuss with you a matter of great importance. No, this is not a test. Don’t bring quills again. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.” “That’s what the letter says,” Twilight finished. The letter had a tone of urgency to it, so she figured it would be a good idea to explain to her friends why she was suddenly leaving. “Maybe she’s just takin’ ya to the next level of yer studies,” Applejack suggested. “That’s probably why she said it ain’t a test.” “Oooh, what if she’s gonna teach you that coolio age spell that’s only for the highest-level unicorns?” Pinkie added excitedly. “Just don’t be gone too long, okay, Twilight?” Spike had become more attached to Twilight after the incident in the Crystal Empire. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, Spike, but I won’t be gone forever,” Twilight reassured him. “But this matter is important, so I’d better get going, you guys.” Twilight trotted around the library and made a careful checklist of all the things she would need; books, flashcards, more books, a few snacks, a few bits, etc. Also, no quills and paper. The unicorn then nuzzled her loyal assistant before heading off for the train station. Her friends had been waiting for her, as they had beat her there and all offered her presents; Applejack gave her some apples, Rarity gave her “the most fabulous blanket in all of Equestria” that was also very warm, Pinkie Pie gave her that flugelhorn from the Crystal Empire, Fluttershy gave her a small and round bell, and Rainbow Dash gave her a slingshot. “’Cause you know, your birthday is tomorrow,” the blue pegasus noted. “We weren’t sure when you’d be back, so we decided to give you the presents now.” “Aw, thanks! She joined with her friends in a group hug. She put all of her new things into her saddlebag. “You guys make sure Spike does okay without me, alright?” “We promise,” Fluttershy answered. Twilight stepped on the train just before it began its trek to Canterlot. The train ride was hours long, giving Twilight plenty of time to ponder over what could be so urgent. Had the Griffin Kingdom gone through the revolution that had been hinted at throughout the nation and it’s affecting Equestria? Had the delegates of Saddle Arabia deemed the festival unimpressive and refuse to make trades with Equestria? Is Celestia upset because she’s only been sent one letter for a while? Have the changelings returned to Canterlot? Had Discord broken free from his imprisonment and this is all a trap? What if Luna has become Nightmare Moon again? Calm down, Twilight. It can’t be that bad, can it? Maybe Applejack is right. It could be the next level of my studies. But what if that means I’ll have to move back to Canterlot? No… she would have forced me to pack all of my things, quills included, and bring Spike. What if she’s just going to tell me that Cadence is pregnant or something? I doubt it. The train came to a halt at the station. Twilight trotted out of the train and onto the platform, gazing at the beautiful castle in the distance. She resisted the urge to visit her parents before meeting with Celestia, because the letter did state that the matter was of great importance. She walked to the castle. The guards let her through the gates and inside the magnificent building. She stepped through the halls and into the throne room. There she saw Princess Celestia, sitting on her throne and looking very disconcerted. “You called me here, Princess?” “Yes, my little pony,” the glorious princess replied. “There is something I have been meaning to share with you for a long time; something I have not shared with any other pony that is alive.” “Are you going to tell me that Shining Armor and Cadence are having a baby?” “They are, but that is not what I wanted to tell you. No, this is far more important. I must tell you the story of the many things I’ve done to keep my thousand-year rule.” WhyTwilight blinked in confusion. Celestia sighed and began to tell her story. “It all began with the founding of Equestria itself. The six founding ponies, Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane, Private Pansy, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Smart Cookie all decided that none of them were fit to rule and should choose a ruler. Clover’s first thoughts were her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded.” Twilight’s heart rate went up at the mention of this. This was never in the book about obscure unicorn history that she gave Spike. “But, Princess…” “I will explain why he is not mentioned as Equestria’s first king in your book in due time, my student.” Twilight quickly shut her mouth to let Celestia continue. “He ruled with wisdom and fairness, but many ponies grumbled about there being more unicorns in power than other kinds of ponies. To calm the grumbling, Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever left in a quest to find a power to ultimately destroy the Windigoes. They were never heard from again. In honor of the two missing unicorns, two statues were built to represent the harmony of the new nation. In a failed attempt to simply summon Platinum and Clover, he wound up giving life to Luna and I.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. She never believed that her idol was once a statue. “Starswirl still wasn’t satisfied. He cared deeply for his apprentice, and left in search of her. When he came back, he seemed… changed. I did my best to console my creator, and…” Celestia began to choke up, “… and we fell in love. I couldn’t imagine a day away from him. But not even our love could stop him from what he did next. “He came up with a transformation spell, one that could change anyone into anything. He was growing insane from the loss of the one who was like his own child, and eventually lost himself. He was meant to hold order in place, but fell into the depths of chaos and transformed his entire body into a mishmash of every known animal.” Twilight’s eyes widened. The only being who looked like “a mishmash of every known animal” was… Discord. “I feared for Equestria, so I convinced Luna to take up arms against my own lover. It was heartbreaking, but I knew it was for the good of the land. “In a twist of events, Luna and I were crowned to rule the new diarchy. We appointed Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddinghead in charge of the agriculture, as the two knew it best. Of course, Commander Hurricane and his younger sister, Private Pansy, took charge of the military. “Luckily, the military organized quickly, for soon we found ourselves invaded by Changelings. Luna and I directly went after the queen. Their queen managed to separate Luna from me and took my form. I did everything to protect my dear sister, including beating the Changeling Queen until she bled.” Celestia seemed angry recalling the memory of almost losing her sister to an invader. “Eventually, we fought off the Changelings. Commander Hurricane brought a young unicorn stallion to me. He claimed the young soldier had shown great courage and leadership during the war and was a major benefactor to our military. I had always pondered as two whether I was a good ruler or not, and now I had a chance to find a perfect successor to me. I took the unicorn in to teach him magic and how to be king. He told me his name was Sombra.” “Princess, I don’t meant to interrupt,” Twilight interrupted, “But do you mean the same Sombra that took over the Crystal Empire?” “Yes, my dear Twilight, that is the same Sombra. He was a gentle but ambitious stallion. During our first studies, Luna interrupted us. Those two became quickly enamored with each other. I knew that Luna was innocent and well-loved by her subjects, and it would be easier to have Sombra replace me by marrying him to Luna and having me just simply ‘disappear’. But, soon, Sombra started to wander into the forbidden area of magic. His growing use of dark magic and knowledge that he would soon be king began to corrupt him. Despite Luna’s protests, I had to banish him to the Arctic North, where I thought he would die and never threaten Equestria. “But soon I received a letter from him demanding that either I give him my dear sister to be his bride, or he would annihilate every pony in the Crystal Empire. Luna willingly left, in hopes of bringing her lover back to sanity. Neither of us knew about a Crystal Empire until Commander Hurricane told us about Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever. “Not too later after Luna left, a large Crystal with a filly inside and a letter appeared to me. The letter was from Luna, asking me to protect this filly from Sombra. I asked the remaining four founders of Equestria about the filly, and all of them noted how much she looked like Princess Platinum. It would take a thousand years, but that filly would eventually free herself and tell me that her mother was, in fact, Princess Platinum and her name was Cadence.” Twilight blinked in surprise. So that’s how the Crystal Ponies knew their princess had returned when they saw Cadence. “But soon after I received Cadence, I received another letter from Luna. Sombra still had plans to conquer Equestria, and was ready to kill me. I went to the Crystal Empire, and met up with Luna in secret. We used our power to drive Sombra out of the empire, forcing him into a weaker state. But this caused the Crystal Empire to suddenly vanish. We figured that Sombra’s weaker state could not protect him from the dangers in the Arctic North, so Luna and I went back to Equestria. “Luna took with her a helmet and a breastplate, the only things she could salvage from her time there. It seemed that Sombra still loved her, despite everything, and had a set of armor fashioned just for her. I was overjoyed to have my sister back, but the ponies seemed to have forgotten her. One night, she put on the helmet and breastplate in memory of her lover and raised the moon, and she instantly became the horrible Nightmare Moon. “I had to send her to the moon, but still searched for a prospective ruler to replace me. You happened to be the one I had the most faith in, and the one who could stop Nightmare Moon. I strung the ponies who most represented each element together, including you, so you all would become friends and use your combined powers to save my sister.” Twilight didn’t know how to react to the idea of Princess Celestia simply pulling the strings like a puppeteer, but she had one question to ask: “If you simply wanted me to tell a secret story, why did you make the matter so urgent?” “Because I have learned what you did in the Crystal Empire.” Celestia’s expression and voice grew cold. “You used dark magic; the same thing that destroyed my first apprentice.” “B-But Princess,” Twilight began to panic, “i-it was the only way I could find the Crystal Heart.” “That much I understand, Twilight, but I also heard reports that you used it to terrorize Spike without blinking, that you were just testing it out on him.” “I-I was just trying to show him what it had done to me!” “And why?” “I…” Twilight had no clue. Why did she want to subject Spike to the same torment she went through? “From now on, the only living ponies who know the full story are Luna and I.” “Y-Your Majesty, what about me?” Twilight pleaded. Celestia began to approach the purple mare. “I’m afraid I can’t just throw you to the Windigoes, in case you run to the Crystal Empire. I will have to execute you right here, right now.” Twilight turned and saw several guards approaching from behind. They were all unicorns, so Twilight’s first thoughts went to using the gravity spell, so the guards couldn’t get her, and headed for the door via the ceiling. Celestia took wing after her former apprentice. Once Twilight was out of the throne room, multiple guards began to surround her on all sides. Twilight never teleported a long distance before, but she would have to try now. Her horn began to glow until the mare disappeared into a flash of light as Celestia came down upon where she once stood. ImpossibleTwilight opened her eyes. She stood in her home, Ponyville’s library. She quickly grabbed a quill, some ink, and a piece of paper to write on. She foraged around the place for some necessities. She grabbed as much food as she could fit in her saddle bag, as well as a second sack to carry other needed items, including a book of spells for basic survival. The purple unicorn picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink, and began to write what she feared would be her final goodbye to her friends. She heard a commotion outside. She peeked out the library window and saw dozens of royal guards surrounding the library. Her friends were trying to push their way through the crowd to try to get to Twilight. The rest of Ponyville stood there in shock and terror, wondering what sort of epidemic would bring so many guards here. Twilight quickly finished the letter, set it down on her desk, and stepped outside onto the balcony. “Hey, you!” Twilight looked down at the guards, who now looked up at her after hearing her. “You want me? Then come and get me!” Twilight’s horn glowed, then she disappeared. Twilight knew that going back to Canterlot was a dangerous idea, but it was all she had. Lucky for her, one of the flashcards that she had brought had a review for a cloaking spell. Twilight quickly cast the cloaking spell and headed to her childhood home. It was no good. She saw her parents standing outside, arguing with a hoof-ful of royal guards, trying to prove that Twilight would never turn evil. Twilight wanted to say something to her parents, even tell them good-bye, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Hesitantly, Twilight turned and trotted to the train station. She hoped that there would be a train to take her to the Arctic North – the Crystal Empire. Surely Shining Armor would be able to help her. The two had an inseparable bond. They were siblings, second, and best friends first. Luckily, there was a train headed that way, but it was about to leave in mere minutes. Twilight couldn’t just shove her way through a crowd; it could draw attention. She also couldn’t hop in a line, because she would have to be last, and then the door would just shut in her face. Teleporting around the crowd would give off a light, and, again, bring attention to her. Twilight then remembered a spell she had been working on since the whole wedding incident. The spell would allow her to walk right through solid objects at a whim. She knew she had to do it perfectly. If ponies noticed a few magical sparks, but no unicorn attached, they would begin to panic, and performing the spell once would risk this enough. So, Twilight held her breath and concentrated on everything in her body to one thing – this “ghostwalking spell”. In a faint flash of light, Twilight felt weightless. She trotted over to a filly and reached out at her. To Twilight’s amazement, her leg went through the filly without the filly noticing. Twilight then walked right through the crowd, through the side of the train car, and into the train itself. The car was relatively empty, so she cast another spell to reverse the ghostwalking spell. She looked out the nearest window and saw royal guards headed to the train. Quickly, Twilight cast the gravity spell on herself again and rose – or sunk, from her perspective – to the ceiling. A royal guard entered her car and searched every seat, every bag, and scoured the floor. He then looked up at the ceiling, where his gaze stopped. Twilight froze. The guard was a unicorn; could he see through Twilight’s spell? The guard looked back down and exited the car. Twilight let out an audible sigh of relief and quickly closed her mouth, hoping none of the other passengers had heard her. The train doors closed, and began to advance towards the Crystal Empire. Twilight’s friends cautiously entered the library and saw a bit of a mess in the place. All the ponies grew worried and began to search the place. Surely Twilight would have sent the guards on a wild goose chase, then came right back home, right? Spike walked up to a desk and found a single piece of paper on it. “Hey, guys, I found this letter from Twilight!” The five ponies approached Spike and waited for him to read the letter. My dear friends, I’m so terribly sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be returning home for a long time, if ever. Believe me, it hurts to write these words, but I know I must. Fluttershy, I’m leaving Owlowiscious to your care. Don’t let him eat your mice or Angel, but he’s otherwise very obedient. Applejack, there’s a jar of bits in the basement I kept hidden in case of emergency. Use it to pay for Granny Smith’s new hip. And there’s also a kit to stitch up Smarty Pants so she’s in better shape. I know Big Macintosh has grown attached to her. Rainbow Dash, I have a present for you in the drawer on my desk. I think you’ll appreciate it. Rarity, there’s a few books on magic that Sweetie Belle can study next to the desk. I won’t be needing them anymore. I also want you to take care of Spike. I’m sure he won’t eat all of your gems. Pinkie, I understand that you’ve never been able to afford your own home, and so you’ve had to live with the Cakes, but I’m giving you my home. I know you said living in a library was boring when we first met, but a home is where the heart is. I wish I could have given these gifts directly, and without grief, but I can’t change fate now. Thank you all for being some of the most wonderful ponies to meet, and the best friends a mare could ask for. Good-bye, Twilight Sparkle The ponies and dragon stood there in sadness and shock. The bookworm they all knew and loved had to disappear, for whatever reason, and it seemed to have involved Celestia herself. But their moment of grief ended when the door burst down, allowing several guards to flood the building and surround the group. Celestia calmly walked in with a stern expression. “You six are under arrest and will be placed in Canterlot dungeon as quickly as possible.” Rainbow Dash shot up in the air and zoomed over to Princess Celestia so the two ponies were nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye. “And why is that?” Rainbow Dash knew it was better to betray your land than betray your friends. “For aiding a dangerous fugitive and traitor. You, without a doubt, had something to do with aiding in Twilight Sparkle’s escape.” Before any other pony could object, the six had chains appear on their legs, letting them be easily dragged out by the royal guards LostThe train came to a lurching stop. Twilight waited until the car was empty so set herself back on the ground. In order to avoid a crowd, she performed the ghostwalking spell once again and exited the train car via the wall. The still-invisible unicorn carefully made her way through the crowd, unnoticed, and headed straight for the castle in the middle of the Empire. Surely Shining Armor and Cadence will help me. They have to. They love me, right? Twilight made her way through Equestrians and Crystal Ponies and stopped as she reached the castle. Shining Armor was quickly building up an army of the fittest Crystal Ponies, and his military experience helped greatly. Luckily, the Crystal Ponies wouldn’t notice Twilight walking through them, so she simply performed that action. Twilight entered the castle and wandered around until she reached the throne room. Shining Armor sat alone in the throne room, him in one throne, and an empty throne next to him. Cadence must be out doing something else. But seeing her brother again wasn’t the first thing on her mind. Instead came the memories of what happened, starting with that room. Twilight had simply remembered Celestia using dark magic as an example of what Sombra’s power could do, and could suddenly wield dark magic. Then, then was the moment she did the one thing that changed her destiny. She used dark magic on her beloved assistant, Spike. How did Princess Celestia know? Spike and I were the only ones there, and Spike would never tell Princess Celestia… or would he? No… we made a promise to never even think about it again. But, I’m thinking about it right now. But Spike was more attached to me ever since, so why would he tell Princess Celestia something like that? Snap out of it, Twilight. Spike would never, ever tell anyone… right? Twilight remembered her goal and threw off her cloaking spell and ghostwalking spell at once. The prince of the Crystal Empire jumped as Twilight suddenly appeared before him. He blinked, and then Shining Amor ran up to his sister and embraced her. “Twily! I’m so glad to see you!” He had a look of relief and worry on his face. “Shining, I need your help. Princess Celestia must have gone crazy or something because she’s…” Shining Armor finished Twilight’s sentence for her. “… She’s trying to kill you?” Shining Armor lowered his head in shame. “I received a letter from Celestia telling me everything.” He paused and looked up. “Is it true? Did you really use… it… on Spike?” Twilight couldn’t deny it. “I… I…” Tears began to form in her eyes. “I apologized and everything! We promised to keep it a secret, but I don’t know anymore! I never meant to do it!” Twilight could feel her legs about to give out. She looked at her brother. His face contorted into an expression of disgust, fear, and anger. “Twilight, I can’t let you stay in the Crystal Empire.” “Shining, please…” Twilight began to back away. “There’s no excuse for what you’ve done, Twilight.” Shining Armor began to approach her. “You saw what the last unicorn who came to the Crystal Empire did to the land.” His horn began to glow. “I’m going to give you a chance to run before Celestia gets here. Maybe you’ll find a place to live and survive, but it won’t be here. I just can’t let you stay here.” Twilight turned and saw the throne room begin to flood with Equestrian Guards and Crystal Guards. She looked back past Shining Armor and at the thrones behind him. She knew what she had to do. Twilight’s horn glowed for a moment, then the room went black. There was a creaking noise, the noise of hoofsteps, then the sound of a closing door. The lights came on, and the soldiers were dumbfounded. Twilight had simply disappeared. Twilight hid under the floor, but she could see what the ponies on the other side were doing. She scanned the room above her for something to distract the guards with – and Shining Armor. Her eyes lay upon the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A devilish grin spread across Twilight’s face as her horn glowed and a faint light began to surround the chandelier. Works every time. The light was enough to bring attention to the chandelier, and every pony in the room found themselves competing over one chandelier. They wanted it. They needed it. Twilight cast a cloaking spell and emerged from the floor without care. She cast a ghostwalking spell to make her escape that much easier. Before Twilight left, she was curious to watch. It’s one thing to see a village full of ponies of different physiques fighting over a doll. It’s a whole different thing watching a bunch of ponies, all trained soldiers, fighting over a chandelier, which began to turn into a bloodbath. Guards everywhere began to beat each other to pulps, splattering blood on them. A small pool of blood was beginning to form from all of the commotion. Princess Cadence ran in the room and screamed. I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Twilight ran out the room, through Cadence, and right for the train station. Twilight then realized going to Equestria by train might be made harder. If there were guards at the train station, then Celestia is desperate to kill me for good, and is probably waiting for me. Twilight had plenty of supplies packed in her bag, so walking back to Equestria wouldn’t be that bad. After all, if it was only a few hours by train, it would only be a few days by hoof. Twilight trotted past the train station and next to the tracks out the boundary of the empire. She was now in the Arctic North. Shortly after her exit, she found a small, pointed, curvy object lying in the snow. Out of curiosity, Twilight picked it up and shoved it in her saddlebag. She continued along her path until night fell. Twilight took an apple from her saddlebag, ate it, pulled the blanket from her saddlebag, wrapped it around herself, lay down on the ground, and went to sleep, shivering. Despite how warm the blanket was, she was still cold. Twilight awoke to the sunrise, feeling refreshed and comfortable. She put away the blanket, stood up and stretched, then put a small pile of snow on the nearby fire to put it out. Twilight blinked, then looked down at the circle of rocks and smoking sticks. I didn’t start a fire last night… did I? No. I didn’t even bring sticks and rocks with me! Where did these come from? Twilight backed away from the place where the fire was. “Hello? Who’s there?” Her voice echoed for a bit, then faded away. “Is anyone here? Who started a fire for me?” “That would be me,” a voice rang out. She turned to the source, thinking the voice to be strangely familiar. She gasped when she saw who it was. A dark grey unicorn with a black mane – at least half of him – stood before her. The other half had faded into a large, black cloud of smoke. His red eyes took hold of her violet ones. “S-Sombra?” Several medics carried the guards out of the throne room and cleaned up the blood. Luckily, none had died from the incident. Shining Armor stayed in the room, under order of Celestia. Celestia, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence stayed in the room and waited until they were alone. The only injury he received was on his front left leg. It would heal quickly. Shining Armor was panicking, apologetically, “Princess Celestia, you have to believe me, I didn’t mean to...” “I know, Shining Armor.” Celestia knew exactly what had happened here. “I’ve seen this spell happen before, but only once.” “What is it?” Cadence grew worried. “There is no certain name for this spell, unless you asked the unicorn who invented it,” Celestia replied. “Luckily, I knew how to reverse the spell and arrived before anything too serious happened.” “The unicorn who invented it?” Cadence inquired. “Do you mean… him?” “No.” Shining Armor and Cadence were baffled by Celestia’s response. “Th-Then… who?” Shining Armor dared ask. Celestia took a deep breath. Her concerned expression quickly changed into one of disappointment and hatred. “Twilight Sparkle.” Cadence was taken aback. “You must not have read the letter I sent to you and Shining Armor.” Shining Armor produced the letter from thin air and levitated it in front of Cadence. “But… how could she learn such a horrible spell?” “Probably by watching you,” Celestia calmly replied. “She must have seen your love spell and been unable to perfectly replicate it. It also explains how she was able to learn dark magic.” Tears formed in Cadence’s eyes. “Twilight was the sweetest filly I ever met! She… she wouldn’t ever imagine harming somepony else! This can’t be true!” Celestia looked away. “Dark magic corrupts even the gentlest of ponies. I saw it happen to my first apprentice, and now it’s happened to my most recent former apprentice.” The alicorn turned and left the room, leaving Cadence bawling over the filly she cared for so much. Three fillies sat on the bed Rarity used to occupy at night, plotting something greater than they could ever imagine. “I’ll see if I can get a couple of Pegasi to go to Cloudsdale with me to round up as many as we can to help.” The small, orange pegasus suggested. The little, white unicorn noted, “Well, I’ll go to Trottingham and get all of the ponies I can get from there, too!” “I’ll send out letters to all the fillies and colts in mah family and then I’ll go to Manehattan and get Babs and all of the other Cutie Mark Crusaders and bring ‘em back here!” “And then,” Sweetie Belle piped up, “we’ll rescue our big sisters from Princess Celestia’s dungeon!” The fillies put their hooves together, giggled, and ran out of Carousel Boutique to the train station. Twilight couldn’t believe what was going on. Something inside of her told her to run, but, for some reason, she couldn’t. She was curious. “Why… why would you…” “Help you?” Sombra interrupted. “Perhaps it was because I knew you wouldn’t survive the night with just a blanket and actually took a bit of pity on you.” Twilight was put off by the idea, and every muscle in her body tensed up. “Y-You? Pity me?” Sombra laughed. “No, I think it was something different. I have seen your plight, Twilight Sparkle.” “How do you know my name?” Twilight’s horn began to glow. “I watched you,” Sombra coolly replied. “And that’s how I knew you would need someone to trust.” There was a faint howling in the distance as a flurry of snow began to fall upon the two. “Why would I trust you? I saw a glimpse of what you did to the Crystal Empire! You tried to kill Spike! You traumatized me mentally with that door!” Twilight’s horn glowed brighter and brighter with each statement. “Because I went through the same ordeal you’re going through now. An apprentice of Celestia herself, being groomed to replace her, becoming curious about dark magic, and instantly winding up wanted dead; yes, that all happened to me. But I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t hide something like that from you, would she?” Twilight’s horn stopped glowing. “She did tell me that.” The tension inside of her faded. The howling noise sounded again, but louder, closer. “Add that to the fact that there isn’t a single pony – or dragon – who trusts you anymore, but me, and you know that you should trust me as well.” “You’re lying!” Twilight looked down at her hoof, which had suddenly become colder; it was covered in ice that now began to spread. Twilight yelped and looked up at a swarm of Windigoes. “Am I? Then who told Princess Celestia about you using dark magic on your pet dragon? Did you honestly think she just made a lucky guess?” “I…” The ice had now covered her left front leg and was spreading to the right back leg. Sombra wouldn’t let her argue. “Why haven’t your precious friends come to help you yet? Surely a true friend would come for you, right?” “Well…” Twilight’s second leg was now frozen, and her left back leg was turning icy. “And even your own brother rejected you. Not even your best friend, your own kin, would give you sanctuary.” “This is true…” Twilight now only had one unfrozen leg, but that was soon to change. “And Celestia is spreading around the fact that you learned dark magic, but she won’t admit that you learned it by watching her; she'll pin the blame on me, and we both know that's a lie!” “Yes…” Twilight couldn’t run away. The ice now began to envelop her body. “Either these Windigoes will kill you for the hatred that I can sense you feel for them, or you can completely, wholly trust me.” Sombra wore a devious grin on his face, putting a hoof to his chest. “What do you say?” Twilight looked down. The ice was spreading to her neck. She knew she didn’t have much time left. Either I die… or I trust somepony who tried to kill those I care about… but they don’t care about me. Why should I care about them? Twilight’s neck was now engulfed in ice as she screamed at the top of her lungs, in sheer desperation, “I TRUST YOU, SOMBRA! I TRUST YOU MORE THAN ANYPONY ELSE IN THE WORLD! I REALLY DO!” Her horn glowed brightly and a beam of light shot up at the Windigoes, causing them to reel in pain. The ice shattered off of her body as the Windigoes disappeared. Twilight tried to catch her breath. “Now that you trust me,” Sombra noted, “I do believe it’s time we came up with a plan to get revenge on the same pony who destroyed us.” Twilight grinned evilly. “Revenge on Celestia? I’m liking this idea already.”
The Letter“Dear Twilight Sparkle, you must come to Canterlot immediately. I must discuss with you a matter of great importance. No, this is not a test. Don’t bring quills again. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.” “That’s what the letter says,” Twilight finished. The letter had a tone of urgency to it, so she figured it would be a good idea to explain to her friends why she was suddenly leaving. “Maybe she’s just takin’ ya to the next level of yer studies,” Applejack suggested. “That’s probably why she said it ain’t a test.” “Oooh, what if she’s gonna teach you that coolio age spell that’s only for the highest-level unicorns?” Pinkie added excitedly. “Just don’t be gone too long, okay, Twilight?” Spike had become more attached to Twilight after the incident in the Crystal Empire. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, Spike, but I won’t be gone forever,” Twilight reassured him. “But this matter is important, so I’d better get going, you guys.” Twilight trotted around the library and made a careful checklist of all the things she would need; books, flashcards, more books, a few snacks, a few bits, etc. Also, no quills and paper. The unicorn then nuzzled her loyal assistant before heading off for the train station. Her friends had been waiting for her, as they had beat her there and all offered her presents; Applejack gave her some apples, Rarity gave her “the most fabulous blanket in all of Equestria” that was also very warm, Pinkie Pie gave her that flugelhorn from the Crystal Empire, Fluttershy gave her a small and round bell, and Rainbow Dash gave her a slingshot. “’Cause you know, your birthday is tomorrow,” the blue pegasus noted. “We weren’t sure when you’d be back, so we decided to give you the presents now.” “Aw, thanks! She joined with her friends in a group hug. She put all of her new things into her saddlebag. “You guys make sure Spike does okay without me, alright?” “We promise,” Fluttershy answered. Twilight stepped on the train just before it began its trek to Canterlot. The train ride was hours long, giving Twilight plenty of time to ponder over what could be so urgent. Had the Griffin Kingdom gone through the revolution that had been hinted at throughout the nation and it’s affecting Equestria? Had the delegates of Saddle Arabia deemed the festival unimpressive and refuse to make trades with Equestria? Is Celestia upset because she’s only been sent one letter for a while? Have the changelings returned to Canterlot? Had Discord broken free from his imprisonment and this is all a trap? What if Luna has become Nightmare Moon again? Calm down, Twilight. It can’t be that bad, can it? Maybe Applejack is right. It could be the next level of my studies. But what if that means I’ll have to move back to Canterlot? No… she would have forced me to pack all of my things, quills included, and bring Spike. What if she’s just going to tell me that Cadence is pregnant or something? I doubt it. The train came to a halt at the station. Twilight trotted out of the train and onto the platform, gazing at the beautiful castle in the distance. She resisted the urge to visit her parents before meeting with Celestia, because the letter did state that the matter was of great importance. She walked to the castle. The guards let her through the gates and inside the magnificent building. She stepped through the halls and into the throne room. There she saw Princess Celestia, sitting on her throne and looking very disconcerted. “You called me here, Princess?” “Yes, my little pony,” the glorious princess replied. “There is something I have been meaning to share with you for a long time; something I have not shared with any other pony that is alive.” “Are you going to tell me that Shining Armor and Cadence are having a baby?” “They are, but that is not what I wanted to tell you. No, this is far more important. I must tell you the story of the many things I’ve done to keep my thousand-year rule.”
WhyTwilight blinked in confusion. Celestia sighed and began to tell her story. “It all began with the founding of Equestria itself. The six founding ponies, Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane, Private Pansy, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Smart Cookie all decided that none of them were fit to rule and should choose a ruler. Clover’s first thoughts were her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded.” Twilight’s heart rate went up at the mention of this. This was never in the book about obscure unicorn history that she gave Spike. “But, Princess…” “I will explain why he is not mentioned as Equestria’s first king in your book in due time, my student.” Twilight quickly shut her mouth to let Celestia continue. “He ruled with wisdom and fairness, but many ponies grumbled about there being more unicorns in power than other kinds of ponies. To calm the grumbling, Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever left in a quest to find a power to ultimately destroy the Windigoes. They were never heard from again. In honor of the two missing unicorns, two statues were built to represent the harmony of the new nation. In a failed attempt to simply summon Platinum and Clover, he wound up giving life to Luna and I.” Twilight’s jaw dropped. She never believed that her idol was once a statue. “Starswirl still wasn’t satisfied. He cared deeply for his apprentice, and left in search of her. When he came back, he seemed… changed. I did my best to console my creator, and…” Celestia began to choke up, “… and we fell in love. I couldn’t imagine a day away from him. But not even our love could stop him from what he did next. “He came up with a transformation spell, one that could change anyone into anything. He was growing insane from the loss of the one who was like his own child, and eventually lost himself. He was meant to hold order in place, but fell into the depths of chaos and transformed his entire body into a mishmash of every known animal.” Twilight’s eyes widened. The only being who looked like “a mishmash of every known animal” was… Discord. “I feared for Equestria, so I convinced Luna to take up arms against my own lover. It was heartbreaking, but I knew it was for the good of the land. “In a twist of events, Luna and I were crowned to rule the new diarchy. We appointed Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddinghead in charge of the agriculture, as the two knew it best. Of course, Commander Hurricane and his younger sister, Private Pansy, took charge of the military. “Luckily, the military organized quickly, for soon we found ourselves invaded by Changelings. Luna and I directly went after the queen. Their queen managed to separate Luna from me and took my form. I did everything to protect my dear sister, including beating the Changeling Queen until she bled.” Celestia seemed angry recalling the memory of almost losing her sister to an invader. “Eventually, we fought off the Changelings. Commander Hurricane brought a young unicorn stallion to me. He claimed the young soldier had shown great courage and leadership during the war and was a major benefactor to our military. I had always pondered as two whether I was a good ruler or not, and now I had a chance to find a perfect successor to me. I took the unicorn in to teach him magic and how to be king. He told me his name was Sombra.” “Princess, I don’t meant to interrupt,” Twilight interrupted, “But do you mean the same Sombra that took over the Crystal Empire?” “Yes, my dear Twilight, that is the same Sombra. He was a gentle but ambitious stallion. During our first studies, Luna interrupted us. Those two became quickly enamored with each other. I knew that Luna was innocent and well-loved by her subjects, and it would be easier to have Sombra replace me by marrying him to Luna and having me just simply ‘disappear’. But, soon, Sombra started to wander into the forbidden area of magic. His growing use of dark magic and knowledge that he would soon be king began to corrupt him. Despite Luna’s protests, I had to banish him to the Arctic North, where I thought he would die and never threaten Equestria. “But soon I received a letter from him demanding that either I give him my dear sister to be his bride, or he would annihilate every pony in the Crystal Empire. Luna willingly left, in hopes of bringing her lover back to sanity. Neither of us knew about a Crystal Empire until Commander Hurricane told us about Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever. “Not too later after Luna left, a large Crystal with a filly inside and a letter appeared to me. The letter was from Luna, asking me to protect this filly from Sombra. I asked the remaining four founders of Equestria about the filly, and all of them noted how much she looked like Princess Platinum. It would take a thousand years, but that filly would eventually free herself and tell me that her mother was, in fact, Princess Platinum and her name was Cadence.” Twilight blinked in surprise. So that’s how the Crystal Ponies knew their princess had returned when they saw Cadence. “But soon after I received Cadence, I received another letter from Luna. Sombra still had plans to conquer Equestria, and was ready to kill me. I went to the Crystal Empire, and met up with Luna in secret. We used our power to drive Sombra out of the empire, forcing him into a weaker state. But this caused the Crystal Empire to suddenly vanish. We figured that Sombra’s weaker state could not protect him from the dangers in the Arctic North, so Luna and I went back to Equestria. “Luna took with her a helmet and a breastplate, the only things she could salvage from her time there. It seemed that Sombra still loved her, despite everything, and had a set of armor fashioned just for her. I was overjoyed to have my sister back, but the ponies seemed to have forgotten her. One night, she put on the helmet and breastplate in memory of her lover and raised the moon, and she instantly became the horrible Nightmare Moon. “I had to send her to the moon, but still searched for a prospective ruler to replace me. You happened to be the one I had the most faith in, and the one who could stop Nightmare Moon. I strung the ponies who most represented each element together, including you, so you all would become friends and use your combined powers to save my sister.” Twilight didn’t know how to react to the idea of Princess Celestia simply pulling the strings like a puppeteer, but she had one question to ask: “If you simply wanted me to tell a secret story, why did you make the matter so urgent?” “Because I have learned what you did in the Crystal Empire.” Celestia’s expression and voice grew cold. “You used dark magic; the same thing that destroyed my first apprentice.” “B-But Princess,” Twilight began to panic, “i-it was the only way I could find the Crystal Heart.” “That much I understand, Twilight, but I also heard reports that you used it to terrorize Spike without blinking, that you were just testing it out on him.” “I-I was just trying to show him what it had done to me!” “And why?” “I…” Twilight had no clue. Why did she want to subject Spike to the same torment she went through? “From now on, the only living ponies who know the full story are Luna and I.” “Y-Your Majesty, what about me?” Twilight pleaded. Celestia began to approach the purple mare. “I’m afraid I can’t just throw you to the Windigoes, in case you run to the Crystal Empire. I will have to execute you right here, right now.” Twilight turned and saw several guards approaching from behind. They were all unicorns, so Twilight’s first thoughts went to using the gravity spell, so the guards couldn’t get her, and headed for the door via the ceiling. Celestia took wing after her former apprentice. Once Twilight was out of the throne room, multiple guards began to surround her on all sides. Twilight never teleported a long distance before, but she would have to try now. Her horn began to glow until the mare disappeared into a flash of light as Celestia came down upon where she once stood.
ImpossibleTwilight opened her eyes. She stood in her home, Ponyville’s library. She quickly grabbed a quill, some ink, and a piece of paper to write on. She foraged around the place for some necessities. She grabbed as much food as she could fit in her saddle bag, as well as a second sack to carry other needed items, including a book of spells for basic survival. The purple unicorn picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink, and began to write what she feared would be her final goodbye to her friends. She heard a commotion outside. She peeked out the library window and saw dozens of royal guards surrounding the library. Her friends were trying to push their way through the crowd to try to get to Twilight. The rest of Ponyville stood there in shock and terror, wondering what sort of epidemic would bring so many guards here. Twilight quickly finished the letter, set it down on her desk, and stepped outside onto the balcony. “Hey, you!” Twilight looked down at the guards, who now looked up at her after hearing her. “You want me? Then come and get me!” Twilight’s horn glowed, then she disappeared. Twilight knew that going back to Canterlot was a dangerous idea, but it was all she had. Lucky for her, one of the flashcards that she had brought had a review for a cloaking spell. Twilight quickly cast the cloaking spell and headed to her childhood home. It was no good. She saw her parents standing outside, arguing with a hoof-ful of royal guards, trying to prove that Twilight would never turn evil. Twilight wanted to say something to her parents, even tell them good-bye, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Hesitantly, Twilight turned and trotted to the train station. She hoped that there would be a train to take her to the Arctic North – the Crystal Empire. Surely Shining Armor would be able to help her. The two had an inseparable bond. They were siblings, second, and best friends first. Luckily, there was a train headed that way, but it was about to leave in mere minutes. Twilight couldn’t just shove her way through a crowd; it could draw attention. She also couldn’t hop in a line, because she would have to be last, and then the door would just shut in her face. Teleporting around the crowd would give off a light, and, again, bring attention to her. Twilight then remembered a spell she had been working on since the whole wedding incident. The spell would allow her to walk right through solid objects at a whim. She knew she had to do it perfectly. If ponies noticed a few magical sparks, but no unicorn attached, they would begin to panic, and performing the spell once would risk this enough. So, Twilight held her breath and concentrated on everything in her body to one thing – this “ghostwalking spell”. In a faint flash of light, Twilight felt weightless. She trotted over to a filly and reached out at her. To Twilight’s amazement, her leg went through the filly without the filly noticing. Twilight then walked right through the crowd, through the side of the train car, and into the train itself. The car was relatively empty, so she cast another spell to reverse the ghostwalking spell. She looked out the nearest window and saw royal guards headed to the train. Quickly, Twilight cast the gravity spell on herself again and rose – or sunk, from her perspective – to the ceiling. A royal guard entered her car and searched every seat, every bag, and scoured the floor. He then looked up at the ceiling, where his gaze stopped. Twilight froze. The guard was a unicorn; could he see through Twilight’s spell? The guard looked back down and exited the car. Twilight let out an audible sigh of relief and quickly closed her mouth, hoping none of the other passengers had heard her. The train doors closed, and began to advance towards the Crystal Empire. Twilight’s friends cautiously entered the library and saw a bit of a mess in the place. All the ponies grew worried and began to search the place. Surely Twilight would have sent the guards on a wild goose chase, then came right back home, right? Spike walked up to a desk and found a single piece of paper on it. “Hey, guys, I found this letter from Twilight!” The five ponies approached Spike and waited for him to read the letter. My dear friends, I’m so terribly sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be returning home for a long time, if ever. Believe me, it hurts to write these words, but I know I must. Fluttershy, I’m leaving Owlowiscious to your care. Don’t let him eat your mice or Angel, but he’s otherwise very obedient. Applejack, there’s a jar of bits in the basement I kept hidden in case of emergency. Use it to pay for Granny Smith’s new hip. And there’s also a kit to stitch up Smarty Pants so she’s in better shape. I know Big Macintosh has grown attached to her. Rainbow Dash, I have a present for you in the drawer on my desk. I think you’ll appreciate it. Rarity, there’s a few books on magic that Sweetie Belle can study next to the desk. I won’t be needing them anymore. I also want you to take care of Spike. I’m sure he won’t eat all of your gems. Pinkie, I understand that you’ve never been able to afford your own home, and so you’ve had to live with the Cakes, but I’m giving you my home. I know you said living in a library was boring when we first met, but a home is where the heart is. I wish I could have given these gifts directly, and without grief, but I can’t change fate now. Thank you all for being some of the most wonderful ponies to meet, and the best friends a mare could ask for. Good-bye, Twilight Sparkle The ponies and dragon stood there in sadness and shock. The bookworm they all knew and loved had to disappear, for whatever reason, and it seemed to have involved Celestia herself. But their moment of grief ended when the door burst down, allowing several guards to flood the building and surround the group. Celestia calmly walked in with a stern expression. “You six are under arrest and will be placed in Canterlot dungeon as quickly as possible.” Rainbow Dash shot up in the air and zoomed over to Princess Celestia so the two ponies were nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye. “And why is that?” Rainbow Dash knew it was better to betray your land than betray your friends. “For aiding a dangerous fugitive and traitor. You, without a doubt, had something to do with aiding in Twilight Sparkle’s escape.” Before any other pony could object, the six had chains appear on their legs, letting them be easily dragged out by the royal guards
LostThe train came to a lurching stop. Twilight waited until the car was empty so set herself back on the ground. In order to avoid a crowd, she performed the ghostwalking spell once again and exited the train car via the wall. The still-invisible unicorn carefully made her way through the crowd, unnoticed, and headed straight for the castle in the middle of the Empire. Surely Shining Armor and Cadence will help me. They have to. They love me, right? Twilight made her way through Equestrians and Crystal Ponies and stopped as she reached the castle. Shining Armor was quickly building up an army of the fittest Crystal Ponies, and his military experience helped greatly. Luckily, the Crystal Ponies wouldn’t notice Twilight walking through them, so she simply performed that action. Twilight entered the castle and wandered around until she reached the throne room. Shining Armor sat alone in the throne room, him in one throne, and an empty throne next to him. Cadence must be out doing something else. But seeing her brother again wasn’t the first thing on her mind. Instead came the memories of what happened, starting with that room. Twilight had simply remembered Celestia using dark magic as an example of what Sombra’s power could do, and could suddenly wield dark magic. Then, then was the moment she did the one thing that changed her destiny. She used dark magic on her beloved assistant, Spike. How did Princess Celestia know? Spike and I were the only ones there, and Spike would never tell Princess Celestia… or would he? No… we made a promise to never even think about it again. But, I’m thinking about it right now. But Spike was more attached to me ever since, so why would he tell Princess Celestia something like that? Snap out of it, Twilight. Spike would never, ever tell anyone… right? Twilight remembered her goal and threw off her cloaking spell and ghostwalking spell at once. The prince of the Crystal Empire jumped as Twilight suddenly appeared before him. He blinked, and then Shining Amor ran up to his sister and embraced her. “Twily! I’m so glad to see you!” He had a look of relief and worry on his face. “Shining, I need your help. Princess Celestia must have gone crazy or something because she’s…” Shining Armor finished Twilight’s sentence for her. “… She’s trying to kill you?” Shining Armor lowered his head in shame. “I received a letter from Celestia telling me everything.” He paused and looked up. “Is it true? Did you really use… it… on Spike?” Twilight couldn’t deny it. “I… I…” Tears began to form in her eyes. “I apologized and everything! We promised to keep it a secret, but I don’t know anymore! I never meant to do it!” Twilight could feel her legs about to give out. She looked at her brother. His face contorted into an expression of disgust, fear, and anger. “Twilight, I can’t let you stay in the Crystal Empire.” “Shining, please…” Twilight began to back away. “There’s no excuse for what you’ve done, Twilight.” Shining Armor began to approach her. “You saw what the last unicorn who came to the Crystal Empire did to the land.” His horn began to glow. “I’m going to give you a chance to run before Celestia gets here. Maybe you’ll find a place to live and survive, but it won’t be here. I just can’t let you stay here.” Twilight turned and saw the throne room begin to flood with Equestrian Guards and Crystal Guards. She looked back past Shining Armor and at the thrones behind him. She knew what she had to do. Twilight’s horn glowed for a moment, then the room went black. There was a creaking noise, the noise of hoofsteps, then the sound of a closing door. The lights came on, and the soldiers were dumbfounded. Twilight had simply disappeared. Twilight hid under the floor, but she could see what the ponies on the other side were doing. She scanned the room above her for something to distract the guards with – and Shining Armor. Her eyes lay upon the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. A devilish grin spread across Twilight’s face as her horn glowed and a faint light began to surround the chandelier. Works every time. The light was enough to bring attention to the chandelier, and every pony in the room found themselves competing over one chandelier. They wanted it. They needed it. Twilight cast a cloaking spell and emerged from the floor without care. She cast a ghostwalking spell to make her escape that much easier. Before Twilight left, she was curious to watch. It’s one thing to see a village full of ponies of different physiques fighting over a doll. It’s a whole different thing watching a bunch of ponies, all trained soldiers, fighting over a chandelier, which began to turn into a bloodbath. Guards everywhere began to beat each other to pulps, splattering blood on them. A small pool of blood was beginning to form from all of the commotion. Princess Cadence ran in the room and screamed. I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Twilight ran out the room, through Cadence, and right for the train station. Twilight then realized going to Equestria by train might be made harder. If there were guards at the train station, then Celestia is desperate to kill me for good, and is probably waiting for me. Twilight had plenty of supplies packed in her bag, so walking back to Equestria wouldn’t be that bad. After all, if it was only a few hours by train, it would only be a few days by hoof. Twilight trotted past the train station and next to the tracks out the boundary of the empire. She was now in the Arctic North. Shortly after her exit, she found a small, pointed, curvy object lying in the snow. Out of curiosity, Twilight picked it up and shoved it in her saddlebag. She continued along her path until night fell. Twilight took an apple from her saddlebag, ate it, pulled the blanket from her saddlebag, wrapped it around herself, lay down on the ground, and went to sleep, shivering. Despite how warm the blanket was, she was still cold. Twilight awoke to the sunrise, feeling refreshed and comfortable. She put away the blanket, stood up and stretched, then put a small pile of snow on the nearby fire to put it out. Twilight blinked, then looked down at the circle of rocks and smoking sticks. I didn’t start a fire last night… did I? No. I didn’t even bring sticks and rocks with me! Where did these come from? Twilight backed away from the place where the fire was. “Hello? Who’s there?” Her voice echoed for a bit, then faded away. “Is anyone here? Who started a fire for me?” “That would be me,” a voice rang out. She turned to the source, thinking the voice to be strangely familiar. She gasped when she saw who it was. A dark grey unicorn with a black mane – at least half of him – stood before her. The other half had faded into a large, black cloud of smoke. His red eyes took hold of her violet ones. “S-Sombra?” Several medics carried the guards out of the throne room and cleaned up the blood. Luckily, none had died from the incident. Shining Armor stayed in the room, under order of Celestia. Celestia, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence stayed in the room and waited until they were alone. The only injury he received was on his front left leg. It would heal quickly. Shining Armor was panicking, apologetically, “Princess Celestia, you have to believe me, I didn’t mean to...” “I know, Shining Armor.” Celestia knew exactly what had happened here. “I’ve seen this spell happen before, but only once.” “What is it?” Cadence grew worried. “There is no certain name for this spell, unless you asked the unicorn who invented it,” Celestia replied. “Luckily, I knew how to reverse the spell and arrived before anything too serious happened.” “The unicorn who invented it?” Cadence inquired. “Do you mean… him?” “No.” Shining Armor and Cadence were baffled by Celestia’s response. “Th-Then… who?” Shining Armor dared ask. Celestia took a deep breath. Her concerned expression quickly changed into one of disappointment and hatred. “Twilight Sparkle.” Cadence was taken aback. “You must not have read the letter I sent to you and Shining Armor.” Shining Armor produced the letter from thin air and levitated it in front of Cadence. “But… how could she learn such a horrible spell?” “Probably by watching you,” Celestia calmly replied. “She must have seen your love spell and been unable to perfectly replicate it. It also explains how she was able to learn dark magic.” Tears formed in Cadence’s eyes. “Twilight was the sweetest filly I ever met! She… she wouldn’t ever imagine harming somepony else! This can’t be true!” Celestia looked away. “Dark magic corrupts even the gentlest of ponies. I saw it happen to my first apprentice, and now it’s happened to my most recent former apprentice.” The alicorn turned and left the room, leaving Cadence bawling over the filly she cared for so much. Three fillies sat on the bed Rarity used to occupy at night, plotting something greater than they could ever imagine. “I’ll see if I can get a couple of Pegasi to go to Cloudsdale with me to round up as many as we can to help.” The small, orange pegasus suggested. The little, white unicorn noted, “Well, I’ll go to Trottingham and get all of the ponies I can get from there, too!” “I’ll send out letters to all the fillies and colts in mah family and then I’ll go to Manehattan and get Babs and all of the other Cutie Mark Crusaders and bring ‘em back here!” “And then,” Sweetie Belle piped up, “we’ll rescue our big sisters from Princess Celestia’s dungeon!” The fillies put their hooves together, giggled, and ran out of Carousel Boutique to the train station. Twilight couldn’t believe what was going on. Something inside of her told her to run, but, for some reason, she couldn’t. She was curious. “Why… why would you…” “Help you?” Sombra interrupted. “Perhaps it was because I knew you wouldn’t survive the night with just a blanket and actually took a bit of pity on you.” Twilight was put off by the idea, and every muscle in her body tensed up. “Y-You? Pity me?” Sombra laughed. “No, I think it was something different. I have seen your plight, Twilight Sparkle.” “How do you know my name?” Twilight’s horn began to glow. “I watched you,” Sombra coolly replied. “And that’s how I knew you would need someone to trust.” There was a faint howling in the distance as a flurry of snow began to fall upon the two. “Why would I trust you? I saw a glimpse of what you did to the Crystal Empire! You tried to kill Spike! You traumatized me mentally with that door!” Twilight’s horn glowed brighter and brighter with each statement. “Because I went through the same ordeal you’re going through now. An apprentice of Celestia herself, being groomed to replace her, becoming curious about dark magic, and instantly winding up wanted dead; yes, that all happened to me. But I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t hide something like that from you, would she?” Twilight’s horn stopped glowing. “She did tell me that.” The tension inside of her faded. The howling noise sounded again, but louder, closer. “Add that to the fact that there isn’t a single pony – or dragon – who trusts you anymore, but me, and you know that you should trust me as well.” “You’re lying!” Twilight looked down at her hoof, which had suddenly become colder; it was covered in ice that now began to spread. Twilight yelped and looked up at a swarm of Windigoes. “Am I? Then who told Princess Celestia about you using dark magic on your pet dragon? Did you honestly think she just made a lucky guess?” “I…” The ice had now covered her left front leg and was spreading to the right back leg. Sombra wouldn’t let her argue. “Why haven’t your precious friends come to help you yet? Surely a true friend would come for you, right?” “Well…” Twilight’s second leg was now frozen, and her left back leg was turning icy. “And even your own brother rejected you. Not even your best friend, your own kin, would give you sanctuary.” “This is true…” Twilight now only had one unfrozen leg, but that was soon to change. “And Celestia is spreading around the fact that you learned dark magic, but she won’t admit that you learned it by watching her; she'll pin the blame on me, and we both know that's a lie!” “Yes…” Twilight couldn’t run away. The ice now began to envelop her body. “Either these Windigoes will kill you for the hatred that I can sense you feel for them, or you can completely, wholly trust me.” Sombra wore a devious grin on his face, putting a hoof to his chest. “What do you say?” Twilight looked down. The ice was spreading to her neck. She knew she didn’t have much time left. Either I die… or I trust somepony who tried to kill those I care about… but they don’t care about me. Why should I care about them? Twilight’s neck was now engulfed in ice as she screamed at the top of her lungs, in sheer desperation, “I TRUST YOU, SOMBRA! I TRUST YOU MORE THAN ANYPONY ELSE IN THE WORLD! I REALLY DO!” Her horn glowed brightly and a beam of light shot up at the Windigoes, causing them to reel in pain. The ice shattered off of her body as the Windigoes disappeared. Twilight tried to catch her breath. “Now that you trust me,” Sombra noted, “I do believe it’s time we came up with a plan to get revenge on the same pony who destroyed us.” Twilight grinned evilly. “Revenge on Celestia? I’m liking this idea already.”
