One Final Day

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Prologue

One Final Day

Prologue

Twilight looked at the group of weathered tombstones in front of her. Moss had claimed the majority of the surface, and what remained visible was a drab gray. The breeze in the brisk cold air lazily lifted Twilight’s mane, which had grown ragged in the last few years. Neglect had made it lose its luster; now being a dull purple with a single dark pink stripe running down the middle. The unicorn lifted her gaze from the grave and moved towards the nearly bare trees that littered the cemetery. Once a vivid green array of leaves, the trees were now a multicolored hue of fall colors: red, brown, and orange. Every so often, a leaf would clumsily drift down to the ground towards the embrace of its former friends. This created a small pile in the graveyard they had resided in their entire life, a reminder that even trees had to say goodbye to things they had known for their own short life.

Twilight raised her head to the sky as a small tear escaped her eye. It trickled down her face, leaving a moist trail alongside her muzzle before slipping off and falling to the ground. The clouds hung lower to the ground than usual, preventing any light from escaping their cover. The weather pegasus ponies had been slacking recently, unable to keep the sky completely clear over the last year. They had definitely improved, at least, but they just weren’t good enough to keep up with the loss they had sustained. Storms had been more devastating, rain showers nearly caused floods, and winter had been full of unplanned blizzards.

This is all my fault... Twilight thought, as a small pool of tears formed underneath of her. If I had been a better fighter, I could have saved all of my friends... I should count myself lucky though that the hydra did knock me into a small cave. If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve been dead, too... but what’s the point of continuing on with this dreary life when all of my friends have been ripped out of it? I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye, and I’ll never get the chance to again. Ponyville hasn’t even fully recovered! Well, it has, I guess.

Twilight's train of thought was broken as a leaf landed on her muzzle. For several seconds she stared at it, dumbfounded, before blowing it off with a snort. The leaf flitted into the air before leisurely drifting towards the ground. Twilight turned her attention back towards the gravestones, then reached back and pulled open the satchel that rested by her side. She took a red rose out and laid it in front of the tombstone, on top of the pile of other flowers, all of which were either dead or wilting. Coming to the graveyard had become somewhat of a hobby for Twilight, and she returned each week to repeat her previous actions: staring at the grave, staring at the trees, and staring at the sky. Ultimately she laid a carmine flower on top of the dirty patch, watching as it slowly rolled down the mound to the bottom. With a sigh, she turned back and began to walk out of the cemetery.

Twilight turned her head in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, which appeared to linger in the horizon. The apple field seemed to share in the depression that afflicted the town. The harvest numbers were at an all time low; the zap apples didn’t even grow this year. The tree trunks had a grayish tone. The orchard had grown smaller, now roughly three quarters of the size from a year ago. Big Mac had taken to hiring helpers in Ponyville, but nopony had the experience Applejack had. Even in droves, they still lacked the strength, willpower, and skill the mare held. They couldn’t plant properly, save a few, and their applebucking skills were sub-par. They’ll get it in time, I hope. Otherwise Ponyville will go through an apple shortage... Twilight thought.

After trotting out of the cemetery, Twilight took in her surroundings. A myriad of multi-colored buildings loomed over the unicorn, beckoning her. Ponyville had become overcome with grief after the day when five of the Elements of Harmony had been taken from them. One house outshone the other buildings, though not in a happy way. A giant gingerbread house, adorned with different pieces of candy ranging from lollipops to candy corn. Sugarcube Corner stood glumly, almost spectral to ponies that walked passed it. Without Pinkie, the small town had lost its love of parties. A few were thrown, but they were never enjoyed; nopony could throw a party quite like Pinkie could. Without the randomness and laughter the party pony brought, the quaint little town began to lose any cheerfulness it once held. It wasn't long before parties disappeared entirely from Ponyville. Most birthdays were celebrated with only a small number of friends, never anything more.

Twilight continued trotting down the road but was stopped as a group of bunnies crossed it, halting all movements by ponies who were trying to continue on with their lives. The despondent unicorn sighed. Unfortunately, there was nopony left to feed the animals. Ever since Fluttershy died, animals became more wild and had taken to raiding Ponyville of any food left in the open. The animals had taken to stealing from the citizens of Ponyville in order to feed their families instead of tending the garden Fluttershy left behind. The pegasus’ cottage had been overrun with vines and various types of foliage, falling into a dilapidated state. Flocks of birds built nests on the roof while burrows for snakes popped up sporadically around the house. A quick shake of her head brought Twilight back to reality as the last of the rabbits finished crossing. The unicorn continued her journey back to the library she called home as a tear escaped her face and fell to the ground.

Twilight looked ahead. Her house was in view, but so was another she hated to see. Rarity’s Carousel Boutique was near the library, and the unicorn had to pass by it every time she left her tree. Ponyville hadn’t lost just one pony when Rarity died, it had lost two. Sweetie Belle was taken by her parents, as they had moved far away, much to Twilight’s dismay. The only ponies who were hit harder with this than Twilight were the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The duo had nearly completely given up on trying to earn their cutie marks, instead now waiting for something to just come along. Their lack of excitement only seemed to add to the dreariness that hung over the small town. Anypony famous that had regularly visited the town to get a hold of Rarity’s dresses didn’t come anymore, dealing a blow to Ponyville’s economy.

Twilight shook her head as she neared her humble abode. If it wasn’t for the magic embedded into the roots of the tree, it would’ve become much like Fluttershy’s cottage. Even then, vines still fought valiantly against the magic in an attempt to overtake the library. Grasping the door with a spell, Twilight pushed the entrance open. She turned her attention to a small purple and green dragon who was mostly covered underneath a light-blue blanket. His snores seemed to echo in the bare library. With an audible sigh, Twilight made her way up the stairs intent on going to bed early.

Oh, Celestia. Twilight thought, continuing her slow ascent up the stairs towards her room. What I would give to be able to spend one more day with my friends..."

End of prologue

Editors: Angelhood101, MadJedi, MyDreamName

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Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Spike!" Twilight called impatiently. "Keep it down!" The unicorn perked her ears, listening to the din responsible for distracting her from her book. Surely enough, the racket dwindled to murmurs. With a sigh she looked out the window of the arcane library, gazing upon the outside world. The cosmic beauty of the brisk evening sky was unparalleled in its splendor. Luna's stars beamed with elegant radiance, like the twinkling of fireflies in the distance as they cast their light over Equestria.

Stars, thought Twilight. They’re so far away yet appear so close. They flaunt my inability to reach them. Yet in my minds eye, I feel as if I could almost touch them. She sighed heavily as she closed her book and walked towards the double doors of the balcony. As she opened the paneled doorway, she was met with a chilling breeze that cut through the

warmth of her being. Braving the crisp night air, she stepped out onto the railing and looked up towards the expansive starry sky. They're like memories. Familiar, comforting, you want to live in them forever. Regressing to a time when the world was not so complicated. Playing, laughing and living without the pressures of reality. Yet much like the starlight I gaze upon, memories are just the remnants of the past.

Twilight shook her head as a freezing coat had embraced the unicorn. Teeth chattering and body shivering, Twilight headed back inside and closed the door. Warmth slowly crept back into her body as the brittle cold gradually lost its hold. The unicorn’s focus quickly changed as her bedroom door swung open to reveal a baby dragon covered in flour.

“Twilight!” the dragon panted. “Dinner’s ready!”

Twilight stared at the dragon. Raising her hoof to her muzzle, she pondered the situation. “I’m sorry, Spike,” Twilight responded, “but I’m just not hungry right now. Save it for later, I’ll eat then.” She walked over to her bed and laid down.

“Also, uh... you have a visitor, Twilight!” continued Spike, still catching his breath..

“Tell them to go away, Spike. I don’t want to talk to anypony,” Twilight retorted, following the comment with a dismissive flick of her tail as she rested her head underneath of the pillow.

Spike sighed, and walked up to the unicorn. “Twilight, you really have to see who’s here. Trust me, it’ll be worth it!”

The mare dug further under the pillow and pulled it over her ears. “Leave me alone, Spike! I don’t want to see whoever came, just tell them to go away!” the unicorn yelled as a small tear graced its way down her muzzle, before being absorbed into the pillow. “Please just... go! I want to be left alone for the night...”

“Hello, my faithful student. I trust you’re doing fine?” a regal voice asked from the doorway, tainted with worry.

Twilight’s eyes widened, as she flung the pillow across the room and turned around. “P-P-Princess Celestia? What are you doing here?” Twilight stuttered, eyes locked on the alicorn that proudly stood in her room.

“I thought I'd drop in and see how you were doing,” Celestia stated.

Twilight blinked in response.

"If you must know, Spike hinted in a letter that you might be letting your sorrows get the better of you. Do you feel like talking about it?" Celestia inquired.

Twilight turned her face down toward the bed, before letting another small tear escape her eye. “I just... miss them.”

Celestia slowly walked over to Twilight, and embraced the unicorn with her wing. “Twilight... it has been over a year since that tragic day. I could tell your friends were happy with their lives from the letters you sent to me. Even now, I don’t think they would wish you to continue dwelling on their passing. Most likely, they’d rather have you think of all the good times. You must always remember that what they did has positively affected your life.”

Twilight buried her muzzle into Celestia’s side as tears began to stream down her face. “I couldn’t save them. It was my fault. I wasn’t strong enough. I just -- I didn’t know. There was nothing I could’ve done. Nothing!” she screamed, her voice slightly muffled.

Celestia looked down at the book that laid face-down in the room, entitled ‘Advanced Offensive Magic for Skilled Spellcasters’. The princess shifted her attention back to Twilight almost as soon as she saw the book. “Now, Twilight. Their deaths were just a stroke of bad luck. There’s no need to fret and constantly think back on what you couldn’t have done. Doing so will only lead you to more depression.”

Twilight turned her head towards the alicorn, tears streaming down her face. “How do I fix this? You’ve lived for over a millennium, you must’ve had loved ones that... died, right?” Twilight asked, trying to maintain a solemn expression through the tears.

Celestia turned her head towards the ceiling as her eyes began to shimmer with a tint of sadness. “I have lost loved ones, Twilight, and I do wish I could see them again, but that’s just not the way of this world. Ponies die. Sometimes there is no answer why... ‘The world goes on’, as they say. The world goes on.”

Twilight was taken back by the sincere response of her mentor. “Will I ever see my friends again? Can’t you bring them back with a spell or something?”

“I’m sorry Twilight, but bringing back the dead is something that nopony can do. You can only rest knowing that your friends are in peace. That’s all.” Celestia responded.

“But you’re the princess! You have to be able to do... something!”

“Twilight, you of all ponies should know that nopony has such power. Not even I.” Celestia stated, turning to look her student in the eyes.

Twilight had her muzzle pointed towards the bed, unwilling to make eye contact with her teacher. “It’s not fair... it should have been me. Why couldn’t it have killed me, too? Why did I have to get lucky?” the distressed unicorn said. “There has to be something you can do! Anything that would bring them back! Anything at all!” she yelled.

“Twilight, sometimes there are roads that are better left untraveled. I don’t want you to experience some of the things I have done. Things that even seemed right at the moment, but only end up hurting you more.”

Twilight shot up immediately. “Do it!” she shouted. “Having my friends back - alive and well, is worth more to me than any price some silly spell puts on them!”

“Don’t make this mistake, Twilight. You’re young. Pure. Nopony your age should ever have to deal with grief beyond her years.”

“Princess, I don’t care about the grief. I need this moment to apologize. To make amends. My friends should all be living their lives! They deserve a second chance. Even you know this! We were destined to remain as a group of six, to protect Equestria, and now there’s only one left - me.” Twilight stated, a touch of desperation in her voice.

"I understand, but this is something you should not be introduced to. Some things are hidden for a reason. I want to help you, but there is only so much I can do."

“But this is something that will help! Don’t you understand, Celestia?”

Celestia sighed heavily. “I do, Twilight. I just don’t want to see your life spent grieving over something you had no control over.”

“Celestia, please. Give me this one chance. I need it more than ever, and you’re the only one that can give it to me. This is the only thing that can help me forgive myself.”

“This may only further aggrieve you in the end, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Celestia asked, her voice filled with concern..

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, princess!” Twilight said, her voice bubbling with excitement as she left the embrace of Celestia’s wing and proceeded to bounce around in circles, giggling like a little school-filly.

Celestia sighed. “Tomorrow, at noon, when my power reaches its fullest, I’ll meet you in front of town hall and we’ll begin the process. Although, if you decide not to come, I don’t blame you... it’s a rather risky spell that can backfire at the loss of concentration, and the effects can be fatal. I will ask this one last time, are you sure you want to do this?” The alicorn stared intently at her bounding student.

"Yes!" shouted Twilight, lost in her flight of happiness. A large growl emanated across the room, as Twilight looked sheepishly at Celestia.

Celestia shook her head. “Have you forgotten to eat again, my student?”

Twilight grinned. “Maybe... I was planning on eating later.”

“Well, it sounds like your stomach disagrees with your decision. Go downstairs and eat. When I was going up the stairs, there was a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. I’d advise you getting some dinner before it’s all gone, Twilight. I’ll remain up here to fully remember this spell.”

Twilight shot her a confused look, before giving a quick nod. She began humming an upbeat tune she had learned from Pinkie and trotted with a large grin on her face as the smell of a freshly cooked dinner wafted towards her nostrils.

Celestia watched her student trot down the stairs, then turned towards the window. Maybe I should have told Twilight about the effects... but doing so would crush her. She was already on the precipice of holding onto too much emotions, anything more could surely traumatize her. Hopefully she’ll be alright after this is all over...

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Twilight watched in awe as an ethereal glow covered Celestia’s horn. With a large explosion, a giant blanket of smoke covered the front of the town hall. A collection of groans were heard, followed by the crunching sounds of multiple bones snapping into place. As the cloud slowly dissipated, Twilight could distinguish the outline of five ponies. The unicorn strained her eyes as one of the black shadows flew out of the cover and landed gracefully in front of the crowd of onlookers. The new arrival’s rainbow-hued mane seemed to intensify in the sunlight, and a grin spread across the pegasus’s face.

“Buck yeah! Rainbow Dash is back, Ponyville! Hold your applause, I know, I’m awesome! But give me some time, ponies!” the pegasus shouted, mistaking the crowd’s confusion for applause.

Twilight stood in shock as her once-dead friend stood alive and well in front of her. As quickly as she could, Twilight Sparkle tackled Dash into a hug and began weeping into her mane. “Rainbow! You’re back!”

The pegasus struggled out of the hug. “Who the hay are you, and how do you know my name?” she inquired, a confused expression on her face.

“You’re kidding, right, Rainbow?” Twilight chuckled. “Yeah, you always were the joker! Good one, Dash.”

“Uh... I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen you in my entire life! Hey, girls. Have you ever seen this purple mare before?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning her head back to the dissipating smoke.

“I honestly can’t say ‘Ah have.”

“Oh, with that coiffure, I’m sure I would remember her. Talk about a fashion nightmare!”

Twilight brought her hoof up to her mane. Whoops, looks like I forgot to brush my mane this morning... but still, why can’t they remember me? she questioned herself.

“Umm... I can say that I’ve never seen her before...”

“I don’t know her, but I can get to know her! You see, I never saw her before, and if I never saw her before that means she’s new, ‘cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville, and if she’s new that means we have to throw her a party! Come on girls, we have to start planning!”

Rainbow Dash brought her hoof up to her forehead. “Pinkie... can you ever not think about parties?”

"No can do, Dashie!" came the same bubbly voice, before a pink mare with a cotton-candy mane bounced out from the smoke. “I love to make ponies smile, you know that! Look at her, she looks sad, silly filly.” Pinkie took a deep breath.

When you’re down there’s no need to frown!

Come with Pinkie, we’ll turn that upside down!

We'll start up a party, wait and see!

That there’s so much to enj-

Pinkie’s song was cut short as Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof into the singing mare’s mouth.

“Pinkie, this isn’t the time for singing. Save it for later, okay?” Rainbow said, removing her hoof after getting a nod from from the pink pony.

“Will do, Dashie! I’ll sing it at the party for... uhh, what was your name again?” Pinkie inquired, jumping over to Twilight.

“My name? Oh! My name... yes. It’s Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. You really didn’t know that?” Twilight asked.

“Nopers! You must be brand new to Ponyville, because, like I said, I know everypony! Well, glad to meet you, Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie stated, before bouncing back towards Rainbow Dash.

“Where do you come from... Twilight?” asked a white unicorn with large, lavender, barrel curls in her mane as the last of the smoke began to disappear.

“Umm... I’m from Canterlot, I guess?” Twilight answered.

“Canterlot you say? With that fashion sense? You dress like a peasant, my dear. I highly doubt that you’re from such a place as Canterlot,” Rarity stated, emphasizing her point with a flick of her tail.

Twilight turned towards Celestia, who was sitting beside her with a solemn expression on her face. “What’s happening with my friends, princess? None of them remember me!” the unicorn asked, clearly exasperated.

Celestia turned her attention to her student. “This is the price you have to pay, Twilight. None of your friends will ever remember who you were. Can you live with watching them parade about as if you never did anything at all with them? I warned you of the consequences, but you paid no heed.”

Twilight turned back to her friends with a distraught look on her face. “This can’t be right, Princess. This is a sick joke or something, it has to be!” The lavender mare looked towards Applejack. “Applejack! You know me, right? We used to have fun together at Sweet Apple Acres, clearing trees for Applebuck season!”

The cowpony stared at Twilight. “I can’t say I do, Ms. Twilight. Somethin’ tells me yer bein’ awfully dishonest though. So tell me, who are you really?”

“I told you already, I’m Twilight Sparkle, your friend! We beat Nightmare Moon and Discord together! We’re the Elements of Harmony! We were destined to be friends since before we were born!”

Applejack glared at Twilight. “I don’t like yer lying, Twilight. No good friend of mine would ever lie, and that’s enough proof for me to understand that you’re not one of mine. You say you live in Canterlot? Go back there, yer not welcome to drop by Sweet Apple Acres.”

“B-B-But...” Twilight stuttered.

“No buts, Twilight. If ‘Ah ever catch ya on my property, I’ll resort to force, d’you understand?” Applejack stated, giving Twilight such a fierce glare that she was forced to take a few steps back in fear for her own safety.

Twilight looked over at the only ‘friend’ that hadn’t spoken: Fluttershy. She walked up to the pegasus, who cowered in her presence. “Fluttershy... You remember me, right?”

“N-n-no... I... don’t...” Fluttershy managed, hiding her face behind her pink mane.

“Don’t you remember Spike at least?” Twilight asked.

“Who’s Spike? I... really don’t remember... him either...”

“He’s my dragon, don’t you recall?”

A scream escaped the yellow pegasus’ mouth, and she hid behind Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight. “Nice going, Twilight. Not only have you been lying this entire time, but you’ve gone and scared Fluttershy! Don’t ever let me catch you in Ponyville again! Let’s go, girls. We need to go talk to some ponies,” the rainbow-maned pony stated, slowly flying away from Twilight.

Pinkie bounced up to Twilight, an angry expression on her face. “At first I thought you could become a good friend! But you’re nothing more than a liar and a meanie! I’m not going to throw a party for you ever!”

Twilight looked over to Princess Celestia, only to find that the princess was nowhere in sight. The crowd also wasn’t there, replaced by a void. Darkness slowly crept upon the unicorn, as she turned back to her group of friends that were putting more space between them and Twilight. The farther they were, the more Twilight saw darkness approaching from every angle, until it consumed all of Twilight’s vision.

“Hello?” Twilight called out. “Is anypony there? I can’t see... Will anypony help me?”

No response.

“This isn’t funny...”

Still no response.

“Can somepony help me?!” Twilight yelled, shooting up from her bed. She looked around, and found herself back in the welcoming embrace of her room. She raised her hoof to her forehead, only to find it littered with beads of sweat. “It was only a dream, Twilight,” she reassured herself. I’m going to have to ask Celestia about the price... if I’m subconsciously aware and frightened of it, that should be a good indicator that I have to know them.

Twilight groggily looked outside the window. Ugh... what time is it? she thought to herself. Her eyes widened as she saw the sun approaching the high-point in the sky. Dang it! It’s almost noon, I overslept! Twilight whipped the blankets off of her and rolled off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Quickly hopping up to her hooves, she looked around her room, before catching her attention in the mirror. Oh wow, I do look horrible... grasping a her brush with magic, Twilight ran it down her mane multiple times, working out uneven tufts of hair. Good enough, I guess, she thought, content with how her mane looked. Grabbing a hold of her bedroom door, she pushed it open and trotted down the stairs. Looking around the library, she noticed a note attached to the table. She cantered over to it, before reading it.

Dear Twilight,

Celestia will be waiting outside town hall in case you do want to go through with this. She says she’s going to explain everything about the spell, from how it works to the risks involved. We’re just leaving you asleep, because it appears you were having one doozy of a dream.You nearly punched Celestia when you were thrashing about! So, once you wake up, hurry up to the town hall, and we’ll get this started.

Spike.

“Well then” Twilight said out loud. “Guess I better go, Celestia’s probably worried about me...” The unicorn pushed open the door to the library and began trotting in the direction towards the town hall, happily humming to the beat of the song that Pinkie had sung in Twilight’s dream.

End of Chapter Two

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Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Twilight trotted towards the town hall. Everypony was out milling about the town or tending to their daily chores. They seemed entirely unaware of the princess’s presence.

Lyra sat on a bench near the entrance of the market, calmly playing her instrument as several eager onlookers surrounded her.

This isn’t right, Twilight thought. Why hasn’t everypony noticed Celestia? Why wouldn’t she want other ponies to know about this? Something is definitely wrong...

Upon making a left turn, Twilight saw the towering town hall building come into view. Slowing her pace, she took in the scene in front of the structure. The tall building was completely bare; no ponies trotted around it like they usually did, making it look deserted.

As Twilight cautiously approached the entrance, the door swung open. Twilight to jumped back in fear.

“Twilight, you’re here. Come in quickly.” a quiet voice said.

Twilight removed a hoof from her face and saw a tan earth pony standing in the entrance, beckoning her inside. Her grey mane was in tangles and her glasses were askew.

“Mayor,” Twilight asked, “Is something wrong? Why is it so...?”

“...Empty?” the earth pony finished. “Celestia doesn’t want anypony to know about this in case you still want to... you know... actually go through with this.”

“Why wouldn’t Celestia want anypony to know about what’s going to happen?” Twilight asked, tilting her head and putting on a confused expression.

“It would be best if Celestia explained.”

The mayor held open the door for Twilight as she trotted inside, oblivious to the magical aura that seemed to encompass the building. As soon as she was inside, the door slammed shut behind her. The noise made Twilight jump, quickly turning around to see a sheepish looking Mayor.

“Uh... sorry about that,” the earth pony apologized, forcing a smile.

Twilight shook her head. Looking straight ahead, the unicorn saw Celestia. The alicorn appeared to be in a deep sleep.

“Princess?”

Celestia opened her eyes and turned her head towards Twilight.

“Welcome, my faithful student. You may have noticed that it’s empty nearby, do you find it odd?”

Twilight pondered the question. “Well, it is strange. Normally, when you arrive here, there are droves of ponies that come to meet you... is something wrong?”

Celestia chuckled. “Nothing is wrong, Twilight Sparkle. I just told the mayor to make the area near the town hall off-limits for the next few hours, in case you did arrive. I assume, since you are here, that you want to go through with this.”

Twilight nodded.

Celestia sighed, a pained look on her face as she spoke.

“Do you know what forbidden magic is?” the alicorn asked.

Twilight raised her hoof up to her muzzle. “Forbidden magic is magic that you’ve locked away and refused to let anypony use. It’s usually dangerous magic that is extremely harmful or that has severe side effects that can cause innocent ponies to be affected.”

“Very good, Twilight. The spell I’m going to use is considered forbidden magic. It was created by Star Swirl the Bearded near the time of his death. Nopony knows all of the effects of the spell, but we’ve discovered a few of them. The spell works by tapping into your memory and turning it into reality. If you have noticed, there has been a magical aura that has surrounded this building. I have been saying the incantation towards starting the spell.”

Twilight looked around the room, as she finally noticed the multi-colored spectra that seemed to sporadically jolt through the air. Pure unfiltered magic crept out of the walls, weaving through other strands and intertwining with others.

Celestia continued. “This will fully begin once my horn touches yours. It will start a process that extracts the memories of your friends into my own mind. It will be tough to withstand, it will give off an immeasurable force. Memory transfer is a very difficult spell that is theorized to this day, an extremely select few know of the spell and how to do it. How you perceive your friends is how they will be brought back. They will be your friends the way you remember them. Are you okay with this?”

Twilight was staring, dumbfounded, at Celestia. “How do you know of the spell?”

Celestia turned away from her student. “One does not live for a long time without knowing things that one’s not supposed to. Star Swirl was a good friend of mine. He told me spells that he had made himself, and I was the one to determine whether they were safe.”

Twilight looked down at the wooden boards beneath her hooves. “If he made it, it can’t be that dangerous. Right, princess?”

“My student, just because a spell was made by somepony like him, doesn’t mean it’s safe. Star Swirl often made forbidden magic. It is true he was wise beyond his years, but he didn’t use his knowledge properly all of the time.”

“Alright, Princess. This offer’s been nagging at the back of my mind, and haunting my dreams. I need to know now: just what are the risks involved in this?” Twilight asked, wanting the matter settled finally.

Celestia sighed. “Not all of the risks are known. You see, Twilight, memories are not meant to hold a physical form.”

Twilight grimaced at the thought.

“Memories are beyond any pony. They reside in the mind. They are not meant to be brought out. This spell is dangerous because the time that your friends can hold a physical form is limited. Judging by how closely you hold the memory of your friends, I can only guess that you will have between twenty to thirty hours. After that, they will cease to exist here in this world. Knowing this, are you still sure that you wish to continue?”

Twilight maintained a stoic expression. “One final day with my friends... Are you sure they’ll remember me?”

Celestia seemed taken back by the question. “Twilight... they are your memories. They will remember you. Why do you think they wouldn’t?”

“Well... I had this dream last night. You brought all of my friends back, and they all acted so normally... but when I tried to hug them, they didn’t remember me. They thought I was lying about our friendship and they ran me out of Ponyville. I don’t want the same thing to happen with this,” Twilight stated.

“My student... I assure you, nothing like that will ever happen.” Celestia responded, her motherly voice swaying Twilight to calm down. “Now, please answer me: Are you okay with going through on this?”

“I am, princess. Even one day with my friends will be better than no more days at all. I understand the risks, and I will happily accept them if it means I can see my friends again,” Twilight answered coolly.

“Alright then...” Celestia trailed, as she walked over to Twilight. “This first part may feel a little bit funny... I’m going to tap into your memories. This will allow me to materialize them into a physical form.”

Twilight nodded.

Celestia lowered her head, touching her horn gently against Twilight’s. A multi-colored aura covered both of the horns, as the magic slowly began to force it’s way into Twilight’s mind.

Twilight struggled to remain standing. The force of the magical exertion pushed against the unicorn in an attempt to knock her away. Twilight fought against the energy given off by the spell, pushing her horn against Celestia’s. The alicorn’s eyes started to glow bright white as the memories entered her mind.

With a sudden head turn, Celestia faced the center of the room. “Stand back, Twilight!” the princess commanded.

Twilight trudged towards the wall of the building. Her breathing was labored as she slowly moved forward, sweat gracing her brow as she struggled not to lose her mind in the energy of the spell, When she reached her goal, she braced herself tightly against the wall, ready to hold on for dear life against some power that Celestia had yet to reveal.

Celestia unleashed a giant white ball of raw magic that slowly drifted towards the middle of the building. As soon as it neared the center, the ball exploded into a fury of blinding light.

Twilight was forced to close her eyes as the light drilled into her pupils. She covered her face with her hooves, in an attempt to fight back against the impeding light source. Just as the light began to break through the barrier she had provided, the light dissipated. Twilight opened her eyes and lowered her hooves to see the room in the same light as before; nearly fully darkened, save for the few beams of light that shown through the windows. In front of her was a small cloud of smoke, the outline of five ponies being slightly obscured. The sound of multiple bones snapping into place echoed around the room, followed by the sound of multiple groans.

One of the shadows flew out of the smoke cover, and landed gracefully in front of Twilight. Her rainbow colored mane glinting in the beam of light that entered the building. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the stunned unicorn in front of her, who’s mouth was threatening to drop to the wooden flooring beneath her. A chuckle escaped her lips.

“Hey, Twilight! How’s it going?”

End Chapter Three

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Chapter 4

One Final Day - Chapter 4

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, her dream bursting into nothingness as her body launched itself up. With a slight twitch of irritation, the annoyed mare scanned over her room. Everything was... normal, to normal in fact. The dim light of the moon shone in broad shafts through the windows, casting a glow over her room. Everything was just as she had left it. Just as she liked it. She raised her hoof up to her head and started rubbing the last remnants of sleep out of her eyes.

“Spiiiiiiiike!” she called out, her raspy voice resonating across the room. After waiting for a couple moments, the dragon failed to answer. Twilight angrily mumbled something incoherent, her eyes transfixed upon the door that lead to the rest of the library. “Spiiiiiike! Get up here!”

The sound of somepony - or somedragon rather - tripping rang in her ears, followed by a sharp yell of pain.

Twilight let her body fall back onto the pillow underneath of her, creating a soft rustle of feathers being pressed against each other. The tired mare brought her hooves up to her head and started massaging her temples in a vain attempt to try to stop the pain of an oncoming headache.

The door to her room slammed open, as a baby purple dragon barged through it. “Yes, Twilight? Is everything alright? Is somet... what’s wrong, Twilight?”

Twilight groaned in response, raising her hoof and waving Spike closer.

The dragon put on an expression of confusion and cautiously approached Twilight. “What’s the matter?”

“What day is it, Spike?”

“Well, yesterday was March 31st... so I guess that makes today April 1st!... Don’t tell me you’re getting into the pranking this early, Twilight. We both know that no matter how early you start, you can never win the Best Pranker Award!”

Twilight raised her head of the warm embrace of the pillow, and latched gazes with her number one assistant. “Spike... you of all dragons should know I would never lower myself to the level of a prankster. It’s just that... I had the strangest dream.”

Spike let out an annoyed sigh, and jumped up on Twilight’s bed. He sat on the edge, slightly kicking his legs in the air as he scooted over towards his best friend. “Want to talk about it?”

“It was... strange, Spike. Not to mention the impossibility of such a spell even existing, and the possibilities that Star Swirl the Bearded made forbidden magic? Impossible! My dreams should know better than that!”

“While that does sound interesting, you haven’t really talked about the dream, Twilight.”

“Oh, yeah,” she stated, raising her hoof up to cover her mouth as she let out a small giggle. “Well, it all started off as me laying in front of this tomb...”

“So Celestia cast the spell, and my friends were there in front of me!”

Spike twiddled his claws together, racking his brain for a proper response to the strange dream Twilight had just explained to him. “Maybe it’s a message?”

Twilight slightly tilted her head and put on a genuine look of confusion. “A message? What do you mean?”

“As saddening as it was, I think the dream was telling you to enjoy your friends while they’re still here, because you can lose them at any single day without a warning?”

Twilight brought her hoof up to her chin and started tapping on it, producing a soft clop sound with each strike. “You may be right, Spike...” Her eyes looked across the room, slowly noting that it must have been much later. “Hey... Spike, do you know what time it is?”

“It was roughly two AM when you called me up here,” Spike stated. “And you woke me up from a beautiful dream of Rarity and myself...” he whispered.

“And how long was I talking?”

“I’d say roughly fifty minutes.”

“So it’s nearly three AM? I should probably get to sleep... need to be alert if I want to avoid Pinkie’s and Rainbow’s pranks tomorrow...”

“Remember last year, Twilight? When Pinkie ended up turning the entire water system green?”

Twilight chuckled at the memory, as her eyes started to close. “Yeah...” she stated, before letting out a small yawn. “That was actually a good prank. I still don’t know how she managed to get that much food coloring for the entire water supply, or how she got rid of it all...”

“Some things are better left unknown, Twilight.”

“That’s true... anyway, good night, Spike.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

“Don’t dream of Rarity too much, can’t be having you get carpal tunnel again.”

Spike forced a sheepish smile as small sweat beads started to form on his head. “Can we please not talk about that again?” he asked, pushing himself off the bed.

Twilight let her head fall back down to the pillow once more. “Yeah, sure. Although I’ll probably pester you about it every now and then...”

“The things I have to put up with...” Spike muttered.

“What was that?”

“Oh... I said have a good night!”

Twilight lazily closed her eyes, letting the darkness take her over. “Yeah... good night... oh, and happy April Fools, Spike!”

“Same to you, Twilight!”

The sound of a door closing and the soft pit-pat of dragon feet descending down the stairs reached Twilight’s ears. A smile slowly played out on her face, as the first images of her mind’s cinema of dreams started.

“You sure she should be feeling the effects?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering just a few inches away from Pinkie.

“Yeppers, Dashie! I put extra ground up Dreamy-Nots into her cupcake this morning! Her dreams should be super-duper incredibly unbelievably strange!”

“I didn’t think you had the guts to do that, Pinkie,” Dash stated, playfully nudging her friend’s shoulder.

“It’s always good to get a head start on pranking, Dashie! Even you should know that!”

“Well, do you have any other plans for who you want to prank next?”

“I have one pony in mind...” Pinkie turned towards the reader, a slightly malicious smile spreading across her face that seemed to reach from ear to ear.

“April Fools, reader!” she said, clapping her front hooves together.

Dash looked at where Pinkie was looking, a look of confusion plastered on her face. “Uh... who are you talking to, Pinkie? I don’t see any ‘readers’ there...”

“Oh, don’t worry, Dashie, I’m talking to nopony at all!”

Dash brought her hoof up to her forehead, while shaking her head from side to side. “Pinkie Pie, you are so random.”

“Say, Dashie,” Pinkie said, beginning to canter away.

Rainbow Dash slowly followed her pink friend, hovering just a few inches off of the ground.

“Want to go bake some more of those Dreamy-Not cupcakes? That would be so fun if everypony woke up tomorrow after having a really really strange dream!”