FiC: Twilight's Devotion

by Mikoniance

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Crossover, Alternate Universe
Length: 7799

When Twilight Sparkle goes missing only a week before her Princesshood Anniversary, the rest of the mane 6 have to find her.

When Twilight Sparkle goes missing only a week before her Princesshood Anniversary, the rest of the mane 6 have to find her.

But where is she? Any why had she been acting so weird lately in Ponyville, especially over the last week? Is her disappearance relating to the stars?

This tale is set in two stories, Twilight and the Mane Six. Can they find her, and stop a major catastrophe with the other worlds?

(This is a sub-story of my overall larger project: Friendship is Corruption)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-25 09:37:00 UTC

Disappearance

Twilight's Devotion

Chapter 1

“Hey Twilight, got any of that stuff you used on Rarity once when she kept complaining about the dress sizes on Winona?”

“No, but Zecora might do.”

And that was all she said, she never said any more than that. Not since last year.

Applejack trotted away from Twilight's floating home quietly. Ever since she became a Princess Twilight ignored everypony. She moved her home away from the other ponies near to the edge of the Everfree, she doesn't come to Pinkie's parties, she never answers the door in person but gets Spike to do it, always. Other than that she replies shortly from her window, without taking her head out to see anypony.

Applejack sighed as she trotted back to the barn. Fixing Winona would be hard trouble, the Anniversary of Twilight's Princesshood was next week and Ponyville wanted to give her a big surprise, but Applejack especially. Everypony wanted to be in best shape, and their pets would be no different. Rainbow Dash made sure that not a single cloud was in the sky for last week, of course that brought problems with the water supply. She didn't want to miss a single one or the sky would look uneven.

Rainbow Dash had suddenly got a great gobble of OCD not long before now. She was obliged to help Rarity do some of her dresses as she had nothing else to do, even though it wasn't Rainbow Dash's thing. Soon after she developed the same kind of problem as Rarity. Everything had to be, must be perfect. Otherwise gone.

Pinkie was busy making decorations. She needed the materials which had ran short because Canterlot had a few collapsed building that needed repairing. Pinkie stayed in Sweetie Bell's room with her. Sweetie Bell was out with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom doing skydiving hoping again for their Cutie Marks leaving her room free for Pinkie to use whatever she wanted with all her space and not getting shouted at by Ms and Mr. Cake.

Fluttershy was practising a song with her birds (and some beavers).

“Canary, your tune is a lidlebit off. Now again from verse two. A one, a two, one, two, three, four...”

They were interrupted by a swift breeze.

“Oh I'm sorry.” Fluttershy said she calmed the fluttering birds down and back to their places on the stage tree.

There was a rattling in the trees around her, not a violent one, just the kind that came after the cold winds came by.

“Don't worry, I'm going to see what it is, I'll be back soon. You can practise while I'm gone... if you don't mind.”

Fluttershy stepped away and turned around, she walked down the path and heard trotting further up.

She was then greeted by Applejack materializing beside her.

“Howdy Fluttershy! I came to see if you knew where Zecora could be, I heard that she had some knock-some-sense-into-you potion or something and I need Rarity to give me something for Winona to wear. She looks downright muddy and it's starting to stick hard!”

Fluttershy took a small breath.

“Oh Applejack, I'm so sorry. I don't know where she is, but I'll be certain to tell you if I do see her right away.” She turned away from Applejack and continued down the path.

“Right, if I can't find Zecora, or get Rarity to help me make a good dress, then I'll just have to make one myself!”

“RARITY!!!! RARITY WHERE ARE THE RED RIBBONS! YOU TOLD ME TO LOOK IN THE THIRD DRAWER ON THE LEFT SIDE BUT I ONLY FOUND GREEN ONES!”

Rarity entered the room, frustrated.

“Sorry Pinkie but I can't focus with all your yelling right next to me. The red ribbons are in the fifth drawer.” She pointed at the fifth drawer on the left side of the room. Pinkie hopped over to them and opened it.

“Thanks Rarity!” And then she continued her string of ribbons.

“One little adjustment, pink and blue aren't really anniversary colours, try yellow and white.”

Rarity quickly left before Pinkie had time to reply.

She entered her room and continued making her dress.

“It has got to be flashy,” she said as she put sparkly silver glitter over her white dress.

“It must be big,” she said as she puffed it up from the bottom with an air-blower.

“And most of all... appealing!” She added a few stitches onto the head rim to lower the collar.

“Never use blanket stitches, they are for blankets.” She kept on reminding herself.

“RARITY, WHERE DID YOU SAY THAT THE PINS WHERE?!”

Rarity barged out of her room, she couldn't work peacefully with an animal in her house.

“Pinkie the pins are on the top shelf! I give you a chair to use to get up there!”

Pinkie looked around and spotted a chair.

“Sorry Rarity!” She said as she got the chair.

Rarity went back to making her dress.

“Rainbow Smash!” Rainbow Dash said as she busted another cloud, and another, and another. Even the split up clouds were getting busted by her. She really had a major problem. She started bursting white balloons because they looked like white clouds and she wouldn't allow that.

“A cloudless sky, a Pegasi record, not a single cloud in all of Equestria and beyond!”

She busted and bucked on cloud after cloud, until eventually she began to feel the drag of the wind. Her anatomy was built on being air-resistant, that was why she had such a pointed head.

She flew and kept on busting more clouds, even through her tiresomeness she could do it. In her ignorance she crashed straight into Twilight Sparkle’s flying home. It shook a little and Dash could hear some books fall down.

“Sorry Twilight!” She rushed and quickly began busting clouds above her home.

Busting clouds was more important than even Rainbow Dash's manners now. She still had them, but cloud clearing came first, they had an effect on his vision where if he saw one then he became fixated on it.

Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy down below, luckily she had no clouds to distract her, so she flew down to meet her favourite flying buddy.

“Fluttershy, how nice to see you again! Seen any clouds lately, I bet not!”

“No I haven't.” She replied. “Right now I'm looking for something in the forest, it's disturbing my musical practice for Twilight's Anniversary.”

“What kind of thing is it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don't know, but it is very shaky.”

The trees shivered cold air around.

“Hey! This ain’t winter cut it out!”

“Hey Twilight, got any of that stuff you used on Rarity once when she kept complaining about the dress sizes on Winona?” Applejack shouted from the ground up at Twilight's floating home.

“No, but Zecora might do.” Twilight replied.

There she sat, she was sitting there for such a long time, possibly days. Spike entered her room.

“Was that Applejack? I heard she's been talking about you Twilight, says that you have been acting all lonely.”

Twilight got up, her face was angry-like and her tone was unbearable.

“Oh yeah?! And where did you find this out from?! How did you magically find a way to telepathically communicate with Applejack?! Hmm?! TELL ME!”

“She talks to you as says you are acting lonely. I only listen.”

Twilight sat back on her chair. The sun was setting, Celestia was beginning to rest and let Luna take her place. She stared out the window into the darkening sky.

“Spike, it's time to sleep now. I need to be alone.”

“Like the last week you've been saying the same things every night, Twilight what is going on? Why am I stuck up here with you? Why do you refuse to put the house down?” He had finally brought out the questions that needed answering, the ones that everypony in all of Ponyville wanted to know.

“Just leave Spike, it's night time and  need to sleep!”

Spike sighed, it was impossible arguing with a pony as stubborn as Twilight, and it has only gotten harder when her Princesshood too.

Spike left the room with his head down and closed the door behind him.

“Alright Luna, what is it that I need to do? You are the Princess of the Night, so why do I keep on getting these dreams?” Twilight sighed.

She took a book from her shelf, Starswirl's guide to Time and the Continuum.

She had read this on multiple occasions and found it one of the only books challenging for her.

She opened it to find on the first page a note slipped inside.

Twilight Sparkle, it has been long and I am afraid that if I leave this too late then the Ponyverse could become catastrophically obliterated.

“Obliterated?” Twilight thought.

The dreams Twilight, they are caused by a temporal fabric being distorted somewhere in the Ponyverse, where I am right now. But I can do nothing about it, you can.

“Someone from another star is writing a message, to me?” She said as she looked out the window.

She continued reading the message.

Use your knowledge, find me, find us. Don't be fooled by anything, anypony. Look out at the stars, they're disappearing.

Indeed they were, Twilight looked out and every few seconds a star vanished from the night sky.

It will not be long Twilight.

That was the end of the message. Twilight know nothing of what was happening, but the dreams kept on happening, she couldn't just ignore them. The same with the stars, that was not an illusion. And also how could anypony slip a note inside that book when she reads it every night and every day, and as almost constantly in the room? Something weird was happening, and Twilight had to sleep to find out what it was.

She rolled over and got under the blankets, a few of the stitched came off, she had been biting them out of nervousness. Twilight closed her eyes, and soon dreams came over to her.

“Applejack, look outside the sky's gone clear!” Apple Bloom nudged Applejack in her bed. “Applejack please!”

“Go to sleep sugar-cube.” Applejack said and rolled away from Apple Bloom.

“But Applejack!-”

Applejack sat up and wiped her eyes.

“What is it?”

“Look outside, the stars are going away!” Apple Bloom dragged Applejack out of her bed and to the window. Applejack looked outside and realised that her sister wasn't playing a joke.

“What in tarnation?!-” She questioned as she got up from the floor.

“I don't know sis, but I think that Twilight's got something to do with it.” Apple Bloom sadly put in.

“I wouldn't disagree with you there Apple Bloom.”

The next day Rainbow Dash was again going around busting balloons.

“Balloon burst!” She exclaimed as she bucked a cloud.

“Hey what do you think you're doing?” A dark grey coated and white haired Pegasi asked.

“Clearing the clouds.” Rainbow Dash quickly replied.

“I just put that there and we need it to rain over the cornfields, there hasn't been enough rain lately y'know!”

“Hey, there's only two days until Twilight's Anniversary, show some respect and clear the sky!”

The other pony ignored Rainbow Dash and flew away. He placed another cloud for it to be quickly destroyed by Rainbow Dash.

“You again! We need rain and if you keep on destroying these clouds then I'm going to have to get Pegasi accommodation to stop you!”

Rainbow Dash looked at the grey ponies' Cutie Mark, it was a strong breeze.

“And what are you going to do, blow me away?” Rainbow Dash laughed. The grey Pegasus got angry and then took a deep breath and, not ironically, blow Rainbow Dash away in a massive gust of wind, knocking him straight into Twilight's window.

“Sorry Twi-” Rainbow Dash looked around. “Twilight?”

Spike entered the room.

“Rainbow Dash, have you seen Twilight anywhere?”

“No, I thought she'd be here even if I wasn't.”

“She's gone! I can't believe it! She's gone...” Spike sat down and looked at the floor.

“At least she's out the house.” Rainbow Dash said.

“We've got to find her.” Spike said as he looked up.

Rainbow Dash zoomed down from the sky, straight at the Apples' Barn. She stopped in front and looked around.

“Ah! Applejack!” She shouted as she flew to Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash? How nice is it to see you around the farm.”

“Applejack, have you seen Twilight around lately?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I was just about to ask the same thing.” Applejack replied.

“Spike and I are asking everypony, she's not in her house.” Rainbow Dash informed.

“Not in her house? Why'd she do that for?” Applejack asked.

“I don't know. But we need to see if the others know where she is.”

Applejack breathed deeply.

“Where's Spike at?”

“He's going to Pinkie's bakery.” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Alright. I'll check Fluttershy and you can do Rarity.” Applejack planned.

Spike walked up to Sugarcube Corner. He took one deep breath and entered.

“Hi Mr. Cake! I was wondering if Pinkie was around, something important I need to speak to her about.”

Mr. Cake stared.

“Pinkie's upstairs.” He said.

“Thanks Mr. Cake.” Spike hurried up the stairs to Pinkie's upper floor room.

“Hello Pinkie!” Spike greeted as he entered the pink room full of decorations. Now it was overfull of decorations, probably due to the Anniversary.

“Hello Spike! I'm so happy to see you!” She didn't get up from sitting, she was making decorations out of ribbons.

“Um... Pinkie, have you seen Twilight anywhere?”

“Twiley? Oh no no... why Spike?”

“She's gone then... she must be...”

“TWILIGHT'S GONE?!!” She shouted as she jumped up. She shouted so hard that the building shook, and probably the whole of Ponyville with it.

Rainbow Dash landed outside of Rarity's Shop. He politely knocked on the door.

“WHO IS IT?!!” Rarity shouted from inside

“Um.. It's Rainbow Dash.”

The door opened.

“Oh, it's you. I thought that shouting machine Pinkie was here. I kicked her out from all that shouting, drives me crazy!”

“Yeah, have you seen Twilight?” Dash quickly changed subject.

“Twilight? I wished. Another Unicorn would've helped a lot.”

“Oh, sorry I wasted your time Rarity, gotta go now!”

Rainbow Dash zoomed into the sky.

Applejack knocked on Fluttershy's door. Fluttershy quietly opened it.

“Oh, it's just Applejack, carry on.” She said to the birds.

“Fluttershy, I see you've gotta nice musical going there haven't you.”

“Oh yes, they are doing so well.”

“Anyway to get straight to the point, have you seen Twilight anywhere?”

“Oh no, I'm so sorry.” Fluttershy apologized.

“Don't be sorry sugarcube. We've just been noticin' the star disappearin' and we think Twi is involved in it.”

Fluttershy gasped as she looked at the sky. There weren’t many stars as it was early day, but enough to see going away.

Rainbow Dash found Spike at Sugarcube Corner.

“I knew you'd still be here.”

She landed with a small puff of smoke.

“I heard that Twilight's disappeared, after so long making all these decorations!” Pinkie shouted.

“Yeah, but what about the sky? Haven't you noticed the stars going away?”

Pinkie thought for a moment.

“No, not really. I'm an Earth Pony, we don't really look at the stars. Or do we?”

Rarity trotted up to them.

“Rarity how'd you find us?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I find that a rather rude question.” She replied.

“Sorry Rarity.” Rainbow Dash apologized.

“I  followed your Rainbow trail, you must've been in a hurry to get here.” She said smartly.

Applejack and Fluttershy trotted up.

“Howdy you all!” Applejack said.

“Great, that's all of us.” Rainbow Dash said.

“So what's going on then about Twilight?” Pinkie asked.

“Well she's gone and Spike and I think it is relating to the star disappearance.” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Yes, I overheard her last night talking about a message from another world, I think she's finally going crazier than ever.” Spike said.

“Why didn't you say so in the first place Spike? You know Twilight goes crazy over those things.” Rainbow Dash said.

“I think we are overusing the word 'crazy' here darlings, Twilight has just got a lot of things on her mind, being an Alicorn doesn't take a year to get used to.”

“I think that she's gone to find Zecora, just a hunch.” Fluttershy quietly added.

“Why Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.

“I don't know.” Fluttershy answered.

“Well Zecora ain't a star kinda zebra, I don't we're heading in the right direction.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Maybe we should check out Twilight's room, like hide and seek!” Pinkie cheerfully added.

Everypony stared at her, including Spike.

“For once I gotta admit, Pinkie actually gave a good suggestion!”

“Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, I don't think we'll be able to get up there. You don't mind a little carrying do you?” Rarity kindly asked.

They all entered Twilight's room through her window by the balcony. Pinkie used a ladder. Fluttershy took Rarity up, which took long. She regretted the decision of Pegasi taking her up and wished that she had taken the ladder. Rainbow Dash took Applejack up, which was quick.

Spike followed Pinkie up the ladder, he was used to that after all those years working with Twilight carrying books in the library and putting them on high shelves.

“I guess we should start digging!” Applejack said. She exited the room, flinging the door open.

Fluttershy and Spike stayed Twilight's room and the others exited.

“Hey Fluttershy, can you see on top of that shelf for me? I can't climb and my short ladder has disappeared.”

Fluttershy looked on top of the shelf.

“Nothing.” She flew back down.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie chucked piles of books down from the shelves trying to find secret levers or switches. Rarity spent most of her time not looking but cleaning up. Rainbow Dash couldn't help it but sometimes he had to help neaten the piles up.

“Why does Twi have to have so many books?” Rainbow Dash questioned everypony.

“Yeah, not like any of these are actually useful.” Applejack added as she picked up one of them.

Rarity accidentally toppled over one of the piles.

“Oh I'm sorry.”

“Spike, I found something...” Fluttershy whispered.

Spike descended from the drawer he was standing on.

“What is it?”

Fluttershy pointed under Twilight's bed. Spike looked under and heaved out a large chest made of bronze like metal.

“It's very cold.” Spike informed her.

Fluttershy left the room and asked the others to come and see what they found.

“Wow! I never knew Twilight kept a secret stash of candy under her bed!” Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack stepped forward. “Let's open it then, see what's in it.”

Everypony backed away. Applejack gave it one of the hardest bucks in the last decade right where the lock was. It didn't open.

“Silly ponies, this is a Unicorn's chest. Or an Alicorn, whatever. It can only be opened by careful observation and time.” Rarity stepped in front of the chest lock, took a hairpin from her hair and began playing around with the lock.

“Well then how about we clean up that library now? Show some respect to Twi when she gets back.” Applejack suggested.

Optimism

Twilight's Devotion

Chapter 2.

After cleaning all the books from the library and sorting them in alphabetical order, Rarity finally finished opening the chest.

“I'm done everypony!”

“Yippee!” Pinkie blurted, she hadn't said anything for ages and now she was jumping around madly. She was probably going to knock all the books down again.

They all entered Twilight's room after their unsuccesful attemot to calm her down.

“Ready?” Rarity asked smiling as she laid a hoof on the chest.

“READY!” Pinkie shouted.

“Alright then.” Rarity replied. She slowly lifted the cover of the chest up, everypony gathered around, staring at the chest waiting for a burst of light to come out...

“What's in it?” Applejack asked. Rarity looked inside the massive chest.

“I don't see anything.” She started scrambling inside the chest for anything small. “Oh!”

“What is it?” Applejack repeated.

Rarity stood up and showed them a piece of paper she was holding.

“Well then, what does it say?!” Spike demanded.

Rarity began reading it...

My dearest friends,

I hope you find this message when the time is right.

I am in another world, far away from here. The Ponyverse is on the brink of destruction.

A pony far away told me to leave, I do not know how I did, but I left you, and I am sorry for that.

What I am doing and why I have left, it all is for a good cause and you need not worry about me.

Keep Ponyville safe in my absence, it is all I have left. And make sure Spike gets some fresh air, he's been begging for it for a long time.

Your devoted friend,

Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh dang, Twilight's got herself into a heap of trouble again.” Applejack moaned.

“Is there anything we can do?” Fluttershy asked solemnly.

“I have one idea, it won't get us very far but hopefully somewhere to begin with,” Applejack said, “we could go visit Zecora.”

Rainbow Dash flew onto the chest and closed it.

“Zecora? I can't stand her! All she does is blabber on about things nopony understands!”

“Well, she did cure the Cutie pox...” Fluttershy added.

Pinkie hopped around “If she could help finding Twiley, then I'm in!”

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash flew and jumped in front they didn't seem afraid of the Everfree.

“I've been here so many times, but it always scares me...” Rarity cried.

“Don't worry sugarcube, it'll be all right.” Applejack comforted her.

Fluttershy flew behind Rainbow Dash quietly. She was the least afraid or them, probably because she lives not far from here.

“Not far from here, let's go faster!” Rainbow complained.

“I thought it was your idea not to come here in the first place.” Rarity said.

“Yeah, but you ponies are so slow!”

They arrived eventually at Zecora's hut.

Pinkie happily knocked loudly at Zecora's door.

“Hello, Pinkie Pie here!” She giggled. The door opened and Zecora stood in the doorway.

“Ponies five and dragons one, what brings you all to here without sun?” Zecora rhymed.

“Zecora Zecora, Twilight has gone missing and we think something baaaaad is gonna happen, we think you might have a clue to it.” Rainbow Dashed rushed.

“I do now know what bothers you, and help I shall without a clue.” Zecora signalled everypony to go in (including Spike) and they obediently followed. She set out seats around the cauldron and began to stir the green liquid with a long wooden stick. A foggy mist showed up clouding the room.

“Twilight's reach is beyond your hand, for there she stays in a foreign land. Twilight's reach is in your arm, for going there shall yield no harm.” Zecora stopped stirring. She rubbed her eyes.

“Twilight is in another world?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes your friend is at a world away, there she will be, and there she will stay.” Zecora answered.

“How can we get there Zecora? Do you know how?” Applejack asked.

“The land that you seek, was given by dreams. Twilight was chosen to go there it seems.”

Everypony sighed.

“But fear not, little ponies, follow her hoofsteps you shall, you will end up at a place rational. See what she sees and know what she knows, you will then find to go where she goes.”

“Thanks Zecora, even though you could have explained it a little faster.”

Rarity left quickly.

“Goodbye Zecora.” Fluttershy said and fluttered away. The others said goodbye (or nor good, in Rainbow Dash's case, she was bored from sitting) and left.

“So I guess we can't do anything but sleep on it, and hopefully find something out about this crazy world affecting phenomenon about to happen. Good luck sleeping tonight.”

“How do you know something is about to happen?” Rarity said. “Maybe Twilight is just hiding away from everypony in a bush or in Canterlot, maybe this entire thing is a dud or a trick on us.”

They had an awkward silence.

“Come on! Twilight has played a few lame and rare tricks on us, but she would never do something as big as this to us, would she Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Nopey dopey lopey!” Pinkie replied as she happily hopped around.

They all went back to their homes, but Spike couldn't go home until the house came down. He wondered if a perma-spell was keeping it up otherwise it should have fell. Or maybe Twilight's magic was powerful enough to go so far as to here when she could be so far away. Spike found a bush next to a pile of boxes and jumped in them.

“Home sweet home.” He said, and quietened himself to sleep.

Next morning he awoke to Applejack's loud clopping past where he was sleeping.

“Wake up everypony, I know at least one of ya is around 'ere!”

Spike exited his bush and stretched his eyes. He slowly staggered towards Applejack's disappearing  shadow far away. Applejack was heading for Fluttershy's house.

“Hey Fluttershy!?” Applejack desperately knocked. “You in there?”

Fluttershy opened her door.

“Applejack...” She said swaying from her spot, she didn't get enough sleep according to her eyes rolling and her wings being down too far instead of by her side neatly tucked in.

“I saw something last night, like some kind of a vortex in my sleep. A swirling portal dragging me in, I was getting pulled in slowly but I felt as though I was struggling away from it, like whatever was at the end was dangerous.” Applejack took a breath.

“Applejack... I also had a dream... but for now, come in.”

Spike ran over.

“Fluttershy! Let me in too!”

Fluttershy opened the door again.

“Oh Spike...” Fluttershy nearly fell over. “Come in.” She dreamily said.

Spike entered and Fluttershy closed the door, they then heard everypony else shouting from outside.

Fluttershy opened her door, again. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity squeezed in through the small door and panted on the floor.

Fluttershy sat on a chair, she had remodelled the room so that there were spaces for guests to sit as animals kept on coming. A lot of accidents were happening around the forest and she was the best for support.

Pinkie sat by the window, Fluttershy by the fireplace, Dash by the piano, Rarity on the stairs and Spike in the centre rug. Everypony was trying to talk over each other, except Spike and Fluttershy.

After one and a half minutes of waiting the others finally came to realise they weren't getting anywhere.

“Now everypony, one at a time. Dash, how about you first.” Fluttershy took leader role and was calm about it. Everypony understood that they needed somepony to calm them down, and that was one of Fluttershy's best skills.

“Me? Alright!” Rainbow Dash spun and flew around the room.

“Dash, please. We need to get through all of us.” Fluttershy informed her.

“Oh fine.” Rainbow Dash sat back down again. “Like anypony I went to sleep last night. Except I had one dream like no other. I was like... inside it...”

“Carry on.” Fluttershy said.

“I was inside this multi-coloured freaky-deaky cloud like place that I had never known of, except everything seemed familiar in some sort of way.”

Applejack stood up.

“Hey, I had a dream just like that!”

Everypony started another argument.

“Calm down everypony, calm down.” Fluttershy ordered. “Now this clearly isn't a coincidence, I also had a dream like yours. I was in a swirly portal made from butterflies surrounding me, blocking my exits on either side. The only way was forward, but I couldn't go. Something was there, repelling me.”

Everypony stood silent.

“And what about me? Am I yet again the only one left out?” Spike cried. Nopony answered him. Spike sighed and left the house with his head low.

“Alright everypony, this may sound like another crazy idea coming from me again, but this time don't hold back. Don't be afraid of whatever is stopping you from going to the end of your tunnel. Once, a very wise pony told me: 'Faith Applejack, you need to have faith. And I think that is what we need.'”

They thought silently.

“Well right now we are just like sitting ducks, we aren't getting anywhere and nothing is getting done. We haven't found Twilight and her Anniversary is tomorrow. She's going to miss it!” Rarity screamed.

“All true Rarity, but I think saving Twi is more important than having a party.”

“After all those decorations...” Pinkie sobbed.

Everypony left back home, except Fluttershy. She was at home. She tried to stay awake for as long as she could until night time by listening to the birds practising outside. It would hurt to say that their practising had been for nothing. Maybe they could save the tune for another time, next year perhaps.

Apple Bloom ran up to Applejack and hugged her.

“Where were ya big sis? Runnin' off and not telling anypony?”

“Ah...” Applejack thought. “I needed to have surprise meeting with some friends, sorry Apple Bloom.” Applejack put Apple Bloom down and entered the barn. She sat trying to think of ways to make things go faster so that night would hurry up and arrive.

Applejack started eating the hay, she nearly puked on it once but at least that was better than hanging around waiting for night time.

CHOMP CHOMP

Apple Bloom entered the barn and saw the hideous sight of Applejack munching away at the pile of hay she had gathered.

“Applejack what are you doing?”

Applejack had gotten so into it that she hadn't realised the door was open.

“Oh!” She said trying to hide the massive pile of hay. “I was just resting!”

“Yeah, you might need some, Twilight's big day is tomorrow and it is nearly night time.”

Applejack felt sorry that she hadn't told Apple Bloom about Twilight's disappearance, or that she may do too.”

“Hey Apple Bloom,” she said before Apple Bloom could leave, “make sure that Winona gets a good dress, I don't want to see her scruffy and nopony hardly understands my language in dresses.”

“Sure, will do.” Apple Bloom winked and exited the barn, closing the door behind with a gentle but fast slam.

“Alright Princess Luna, what is causing these dreams to all us innocent folk? You are the Princess of the Night, so why do they happen?” Applejack realised she was taking to a Princess Luna figure she made out of hay.

“Alright, I'll play your game. I'll go along and you keep on throwin' surprises at me, just keep Twilight safe is all I'm asking.” She put down the Luna figure. “Time to go.”

She closed her eyes and felt time pass, visions of apples, red and green lines whizzing past her as she slowly drifted off into the vast emptiness of what could be in between worlds. Her body became weightless, her eyes became lighter as she saw waves of light spiral around her just far enough to reach and feel with the tip of her hoof. Soft and hard. It felt soft and hard.

The only way was forward, but this time she wasn't going to hold back. She stood on the invisible platform that was the black floor, blew her ponytail onto her right side of her face and galloped into the tunnel of white light shining into her eyes, nearly blinding her.

Not long to go now, just keep on flying.

Rainbow Dash dodged countless parasprites blocking her path, why were they here in her dreams?

Are the others seeing what I am seeing?

The light grew bigger, the darkness behind her was fading into non-existence.

What?! Ribbons attacking me?

Rarity was constantly being chased by a flock of ribbons, ironically. She was walking like a tortoise before it and asked for more fun in walking, instead now she was running.

WEEEEEEEEE.

Pinkie needed no encouragement, whatever was held in store for her couldn't stop her. Pinkie's spirit was unbreakable and optimistic.

And there it was, the end of the tunnel. Silky soft but rock hard. What lies through it? They all had thought that question, but now there was no turning back, for Twilight's sake.

Isolation

Twilight's Devotion

Chapter 3.

Twilight dazedly looked around where she was, but her vision was too blurry. She felt like she had hit her head hard on some kind of long rusty metal bar. Maybe if she checked there might be some disgusting splinters. She blinked twice and rubbed the back of her head, no disgusting splinters. She stood up slowly and stabilized herself, she then shook the rain off her.

Rain? It hasn't rained for weeks in...

She then came to realise this wasn't her home, or anywhere in Ponyville. Nor was it Zecora's hut, or the Crystal Empire or anywhere that she knew.

Lost, I'm lost. But I think I have done the right thing, I'm where I should be.

She scanned the area. Urban, roads, street lamps, formally dressed ponies, towering work buildings and even vehicles! Nopony paid attention to her when she was on the floor dazed, in Ponyville everypony would've crowded around her. Where was this place? She would ask somepony if she felt as though she was going to get an answer, but here nopony knew her like in Ponyville.

She saw massive reconstruction work going with many of the buildings around the area, then she became aware that a few of the ponies were staring at her and pointing at her from inside a restaurant. From their lips she could make out something close to:

“It's Twilight Sparkle!”

Of which then she was compelled to do nothing but run away, into a dark alley of which she saw behind her.

“Hey purple Alicorn!”

Twilight immediately shot her head around to see an orange earth pony walking up to her.

“My name's Pineapple Sprout, nice ta see ya.” Pineapple Sprout lent out a hoof. Twilight hesitated before excepting it.

“I'm Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight replied, still hesitating.

“Now yer probably wondering how and why you are here, right?”

Twilight jumped. “Oh yes!”

“Well I'm gonna take ya somewhere to sit comfortably while you get used ta your surroundings, then we'll talk.”

They trotted past continuous roads, waiting like civilised ponies for vehicles to stop. Pineapple had to stop Twilight from accidentally going into the roads, she wasn't used to it.

“Why can't I just fly over it?” Twilight protested.

“Because everypony will see you, and if they see a Princess or an Alicorn then they'll freak out.”

Pineapple Sprout led Twilight outside a large opened gated passage that seemed to exit the city they were in. Outside the city was a long grassy field like the usual ones in Ponyville. They didn't stop walking there though, and Twilight was starting to get tired from it.

“Where are we going?” Twilight complained.

“Not far from here.” Pineapple answered.

Pineapple Sprout led her to a large but low cornfield, set in rows and in one outstretching square.

Pineapple Sprout walked into the very centre where there was just grass surrounding him and Twilight quickly followed.

“Where is th- AAAHHHHH!” The ground opened up beneath her and she felt herself drop in to the floor, she was so surprised that she was unable to use her wings.

Twilight came to senses after a few seconds of feeling the cold metallic ground, shiny white and so clean. She stood up and saw the walls and roof, all shiny white. Lights reflected illuminating every corner of the room. A large cylinder, also white, stood in the centre of the octagonal room, it reached halfway up. An inside balcony platform reached all the way around the wall halfway up also.

“Where am I?” She wondered. Twilight looked around and was run into by another pony smaller than her, her wings flapped out in surprise. Immediately she was being faced in every direction by groups of other ponies, muttering about Princesses and Alicorns.

She felt a hoof grab her.

“Come on Twilight Sparkle, ignore them.” Pineapple said as she led Twilight into a door behind them.

They were inside a long and slightly narrow hallway with doors either side marked with numbers.

“A hotel?” Twilight asked.

“PQ's personal hotel, one room for everypony and many more onwards.” Pineapple trotted a little quickly to a door marked 47. “My room.”

She opened the door and entered the room, the walls were painted orangey-brown. There was a bed and two chairs laid in each corner except were the door was.

“This seems... rather plain.” Twilight admitted.

“Yeah,” Pineapple sighed as she sat on her bed, “but we hardly stay indoors here. Take a seat, make yourself comfortable.”

Twilight sat on a chair that she moved closer to the door.

“So where am I and why am I here?”

Pineapple Sprout leaned forward.

“Didn't you get the message?” She asked.

“The mes- oh right yes. Something about a catastrophic obliteration of the Ponyverse right?”

“Eeyup.” Pineapple said, sitting upright. “But it isn't just one Ponyverse, it is the Multi-verse.”

Twilight stayed quiet, waiting for Pineapple to continue. There was a knock at the door. Pineapple got up and opened it.

“Tesla! I knew you'd come around eventually!” Pineapple happily said to the grey unicorn standing outside, they both entered and Tesla took a seat on the other chair, smiling happily.

“So, I see you find the Twilicorn then, am I wrong?” Tesla sarcastically asked Pineapple, who then pointed at Twilight. Tesla stared at the purple Alicorn.

“So you're the eternal mistake in the fabric of time?” Tesla said.

“Hey! I'm no mistake!” Twilight protested, her wings spread out. They had a horrible habit of acting on themselves with nothing she could do and it was starting to annoy her.

“Well then, down to business.” Tesla leaderly said.

“Let's just make this clear Princess Twilight, in this world nopony has ever even seen a Princess before, that is why they'd freak out at you. We have seen Alicorns though, and the only Alicorns we ever see are the raging I-will-destroy-you-and-crush-your-home types. You are not in your world, but you knew you were coming here, am I wrong?”

“No.” Twilight replied.

“Alright,” Tesla continued, “Now to why you're here.”

Twilight lifted her head up.

Tesla took a breath and continued.

“Let's see... in this world there is a Ponyville.”

Twilight nodded.

“But, not following the correct course of time, this unlike the other worlds had a small error early on in the making process, and a small error early on changes it much more later on. In this world, unlike all the others, you, Twilight Sparkle, died before you became an Alicorn.”

Twilight gasped.

“And now that your friends are probably trying to come here, that only means that this world is going to mess up more. And your friends need to stay in their world to keep it as much the same as it's meant to be.” Pineapple informed Twilight.

“We have to try and bring Twilight back, but nopony knows why anypony would take her.” Tesla said.

“Wait, did you say take me?” Twilight asked confusedly.

“Yes, somepony took you away after the fight in Ponyville while I wasn't watching. We don't know who may hate you, or why anypony would need a dead Unicorn. So we brought you here.” Tesla sighed.

“On that note, how did I get here?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“Simple,” Tesla said, “we just sent a telepathic message to you by mixing the signals in out handy devices.” She took out a small walkie-talkie flip open phone device. “It's called COM-DEV. Took some time to make a signal go so far, so I had to push it further with my magic.”

Pineapple Sprout snorted.

“Always on about your 'levitation'” She said annoyed.

“What about my friends? You said they'd come too.”

“Yeah, we didn't manage to perfect the signals. They were a little fuzzy and we couldn't find you, so we spread it out to find anypony who wielded an Element of Harmony.” Pineapple answered her.

“Why is it that I had to like... reach out and go into the light?” Twilight asked.

“That is just a problem with the device, signals can only go back and forth if the other side accepts it, otherwise it doesn't get anything.”

Twilight sat and thought about everything. She was in a world under extreme disaster, even though it seemed fine. Her friends were coming and that would destroy her world, they had to stay there. But that was because she was brought here in the first place. It wasn't her fault she came here. But then again, it was her who decided to walk to the end of the tunnel.

“How can I help?” She asked confidently.

“Well, first tell us what's so special about ya.” Pineapple said.

“Well,” Twilight thought, it had been a year since she was a Unicorn, “I new a lot about Friendship if that helps.”

“No, that's not the kind of thing they'd need.” Tesla whispered under her breath.

“Who?” Twilight overheard.

“Oh, anypony really. We have a lot of bad ponies around here, like Aquajack and her two unnamed assistants... and also the Alicorn who absorbs ponies' magical powers with the help of Fluttershy's clone. We think it is them who took you.”

“Fluttershy's... clone?”

“Eeyup.” Pineapple said. “We heard she found some kinda magic mirror river that makes more of ya. The real Fluttershy was accepted but the other was ignored, so she became evil. She rarely is seen but folk say she calls herself Fluttershame.”

“That's a bad pun.” Twilight replied.

They laughed a small laugh.

“What Fluttershame would really be after is your magirator.” Tesla said. Pineapple shivered at the word.

“What's that?”

“Oh, right. The magirator is what sends signals to a ponies' special part, for example the horn or wings in a Unicorn or Pegasus. In an Earth Pony it just gives them the ability to move faster and think quicker than others. In an Alicorn we think they have the strongest magirators, but of course we have never seen an Alicorn before except for ones that don't like us.”

“So this Fluttershame takes ponies, takes their magirators and does what to them?” Twilight asked.

“She melts them into an acid.” Pineapple said. “Then she feeds the acid to an Alicorn that can live through it. The Alicorn absorbs the power of the pony and then makes it stronger, it can do all that the last one could.”

“Sounds like you have one big problem.” Twilight admitted. “So I still don't understand how I can help.”

“Well you really are a time saver for now.” Tesla said. “As long as you are here there is an equal balance in the system relating to who's alive here and not. But we can't find out where you are, and we need you to locate yourself. Our locations finder Bale Brand was taken by Fluttershame, and then she moved her lair somewhere else.”

Twilight felt a little stiff, she had been sitting for ages and needed to move around a little.

“Is there anywhere I can go to for now, like to stay?” She asked.

“Well we can't put you in any free rooms in case somepony gets it. So I guess you can stay here, I'll get an extra bed from the storage.” Pineapple gracefully said.

“Well that's enough for the day, it is late night and I think I need the sleep.” Tesla said.

“Around Luna's hours.” Twilight replied.

Tesla and Pineapple looked at her confusedly.

“You know, midnightish.” Twilight informed.

“Wait, who's Luna?” Tesla asked.

Right, no Princesses.

“Oh, just somepony back home who likes night time.” She said.

Tesla smiled and left the room.

“I'm gonna go get an extra bed, you stay here ok?”

“Alright.” Twilight replied.

When Pineapple left the room Twilight got up and stretched, she then circled the room several times before sitting down again.

All I have done is ignore. Ever since I became an Alicorn I have wondered what it would be like, living when my friends have gone. I haven't spoken to them, soon they'll forget me.

She wanted to cry while nopony was around, but she had to be strong. Nothing would stop their friendship, Alicorn or not.

Pineapple opened the door and heaved in a bed, it was slightly smaller than hers but Twilight could probably fit on it. What was nice to see was that Pineapple was really strong, dragging a bed inside almost easily by herself.

“You need any help with that?” Twilight offered.

“Would be appreciated!” She replied. Twilight used her levitating magic to move the bed over. Pineapple came in and fell on his bed, a little exhausted.

“Dang, the storage room is all the way on the other side of the whole PQ.” He just about said.

“What's PQ?” Twilight asked.

“Oh,” Pineapple said getting up, “PQ is this place, Ponyquarters. Like our version of Headquarters, or Hornquarters or Hoofquarters or Wingquarters.”

“Ok then, thanks for bringing the bed over.”

“No problem.” Pineapple said, then flopped back down on the bed. “Sweet dreams.”

Twilight got up off the chair, got in the bed and tucked herself in.

Sweet dreams, Twilight. For once.

She closed her eyes and let the invisible winds take her away.

She landed in a land of her creation. Her dreams where she can control what she liked and do as she pleased. How would this one turn out?

A field of grass, classical. Short trimmed grass as far as the eye could see, the sun hovering high above, and a sky with clouds raining over a patch of longer grass siding a path to the hills in the east. Trees, trees in the west. A tree house in the centre of those trees.

But who was that coming down from the mountains? Twilight flew over to see the bitter cold of her friends. She shouted for them, but they couldn't hear her. She was invisible to their eyes. How could this possibly happen? She was losing them even in her mind.

Everypony backed away from her, trotting away as though she didn't matter, or never existed. Their pets followed them playing with each other. Where was Spike though? Would Spike give up on Twilight?

She flew back down and cried. A cage formed around her, sealing off the sun and the nature. She was alone, was was going to be alone, and nopony could stop it.