Original Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Da2amiZe-GqOc3bzfm_8dxjdrCVY-CAwGtkV4-6-ZQ/edit?usp=sharing

The clock was ticking. Louder and louder. Although there was no mechanism nearby, all rebels could hear the tick. Even the bravest were getting scared now. But instead of letting fear paralyze them, the rebels clinged to their hopes and went into overdrive. Within just one week after the leaders’ return, massive defensive structures were being erected. Barricade after barricade, wall after wall, trap after trap. Shelters for pony foals, diamond dog puppies and griffon chicks, as well as those incapable of fighting. Barracks at strategic points for soldiers and guards to gather up. Watchtowers for the griffons, as well as underground stations for the diamond dogs. The whole empire was being redesigned, only leaving the roads, the palace and the basic shape untouched. The construction plan for the empire’s defence was massive and well thought through, constantly being improved by the brightest minds this world had to offer. Since the waves of migrants also completely stopped due to the mass murder in Equestria, the rebels could build up several defensive circles around the empire without having to worry to shut out anypony.

Work, work, work. That was all everyone had in mind right now. The more they worked, the less time they had to be afraid, to think of what would happen soon. Even the children helped wherever they could and those who weren’t working physically were doing their part mentally.

Twilight Sparkle was among the latter. She, as usual, spent a majority of her time in the library, using the spell she learned to read as many books as possible simultaneously. By now, she had read every single book in this massive archive at least three times over, looking for even the smallest, tiniest, most insignificant hint of an information that could be beneficial. She even decided to write down the things she learned throughout her many journeys, before and after the rebellion began, rereading them several times over as well.

She looked very tired. All that magic, all that mental strain was exhausting her. She barely slept, ate or drank and even frequently forgot to take her medication until she noticed blood dripping from her nose onto the books. But despite all, she kept on going like she said she would. Information was constantly flowing through her brain, scanning, analyzing and sorting everything over and over again. From time to time, she made notes about random things. Sometimes, they helped improve the defence of the empire. Other times, they were useful for her own strategy during The Red Day. But mostly, they were completely unrelated to anything. She gave out the notes anyway, no matter if with or without explanation. Anything that was even remotely useful needed to be used.

Hardly any thoughts or emotions were found inside of her for more than a week now. She had, at least for now, turned herself into a living archive, constantly craving for new information. Her friends took the purple mare’s actions with mixed feelings. While some were worried, others took her dedication with humor, saying that if she learned any more, her head would explode. But there was a reason why she was so eager. A reason they couldn’t have known, because for the most time, Twilight herself didn’t know why she was doing this. It had slipped her mind that she possessed a mighty weapon all along.

Her own arcane magic. As a mortal pony, her power had no equal. A power that had throughout pony history been used to fight some of the greatest threats to ponykind, be it in distant or recent past. But still, to Twilight, using this power was like breaking a dam. Releasing a force so enormous she could not hope to control it. What she had done with this power so far was impressive, no doubt. But so far, she was just poking holes into the wall of her internal dam. Never did she dare to truly go all out. Even when her emotions went out of control, she just knew she lacked control and understanding. Seeing how a simple outburst of rage could cause an explosion capable of killing dozens of ponies at once, she forbid herself to let this magic fully go and flow freely through her. If she ever lost control, she would become at least as big of a threat to the empire as the demons themselves. Fortunately, her own inner demon remained silent ever since she defeated it during the wake of her arcane magic. Of course, like all ponies born in Equestria, she still was cursed with Maledictum Insania. The curse of madness always loomed over her, as well as the shadow of Nightmare Moon herself. If she allowed her power to overthrow her mind, the demon queen would not hesitate a moment to use this to her advantage. So, for the safety of all and to finally gain a sufficient advantage over the nearly unstoppable force the demons provided, it was about time she learned how to breach the dam without letting the water rush and destroy. If she could do that, if she could bring her control of magic to alicorn-like levels, she would become the key to Blueblood’s downfall. Right now, he possessed the power of three alicorns at once. But there was no way that, even after living like that for years now, he would have full control over it. But if Twilight had this much control, she would have a significant advantage over him in combat. Of course, planning the victory of the rebellion this soon when there were more pressing matters at hoof was a long shot, to say the least. But any good plan needed to be thought through from beginning to end.

Twilight’s mind kept on roaming and roaming. All books she read indicated that it was pretty much impossible for a regular unicorn to gain this much control over magic. But she did not care about this statement, no matter how many times it was repeated. After all, she was the impossible! She was a unicorn with the magical strength of an alicorn! In all the history books Twilight read, nothing like this ever existed before. So there had to be a way.

The purple mare kept searching, kept reading, kept memorizing. So much knowledge was flowing through her. A sensation that could not be described with any words. Yet, she could also feel a clear barrier in her mind. A lock she needed to open to no longer be restrained. Now more than ever, this had to be her highest priority.

Memories rushed through her head, getting compared with all the knowledge of the books. Obsidian Shards, curses, Nightmare Moon, Discord, the elements of harmony, timberwolves, Starwirl The Bearded.

Starswirl. Fake time traveling spell. Morphology. Arcane thesis. Over two hundred spells created… Twilight dismissed the thought.

Saddle Arabia. Djin. The colors of magic. Magic sense. Instant-reading spell. Based on the work of Starswirl The Bearded… Twilight dismissed the thought.

Zebra Tribal Lands. Spirits. Nature magic. Ceremonies and rituals. Starswirl The Bearded was studying spirits as well… Twilight dismissed the thought.

The Flaming Islands. Margspakr. Non-existence of time. Time traveling impossible. Learned from Starswirl The Bearded…

Twilight gave a sigh. This unicorn from ages long gone certainly was one of the brightest minds that ever existed. A genius, no matter how you look at it, filled with a deep wisdom and understanding that would put any other scholar to shame. Even if Twilight spent the rest of her life learning, she would never even compare to his intelligence, his level of understanding. Until she was born, Starswirl was written down in history books as the most powerful unicorn that ever existed. He kept this title for nearly two thousand years. His work was groundbreaking and still acts as the foundation any other magical research is based on. She knew nearly all books he ever wrote, read them over and over again. But even with her level of intelligence, books only tell so much. They were only talking about the things he specifically wanted to talk about. Her problem, though, was too specific. Oh, how much she would give for a chance to just glimpse inside this seemingly infinite wisdom in his head. But all that remained of this one bright star are now nothing more than bones and dust. Decay had certainly taken its toll on this legend.

Decay. Decomposition of matter over a larger period of time.

Suddenly, every last book Twilight kept in the air with her magic fell to the ground. The mare stared straight ahead, as if she was looking through the building into the distance with wide open eyes. All the information repeating itself in her head suddenly stopped flowing, as if it had locked onto a single thought. A thought that suddenly seemed to her like the solution to everything. Of course, Starswirl was dead for a very long time now. But that is just the thing: Time. It doesn’t exist. Time is meaningless. There is no strict forward and backward. It goes in all directions. Something lost in the past can still be recreated in the distant future, even when about two thousand years had passed.

The age spell. Mighty transformation spell that alters the physical age of a pony.
Time does not exist. Age is meaningless.

Twilight herself found it hard to believe what her mind was coming up with at this very moment. It seemed ludicrous, grotesque, bizarre. But… maybe this was the only way.

Learning from Starswirl The Bearded himself. In person. Surely, Twilight wasn’t the first magic student who would have given everything for such an opportunity. But unlike them, she actually had the capability of making this possible… Maybe. It certainly would be a very questionable act, bringing a pony back from the dead. It would bother on necromancy and who knows which moral consequences this would bring. It certainly wasn’t for her alone to decide this. Twilight wasn’t arrogant like Blueblood. It was time she got out of the library again and met up with her friends.

---

The call for a meeting came as a surprise to the others. Twilight was completely absent for so long and now, all the sudden, she snapped out of it. Clearly, she must have had a sort of epiphany, they figured. All eyes were glued to the purple mare as she came walking into the meeting hall, her expression giving away that she was uncertain what to think or feel.

She took her time, slowly sat down on her crystal chair, let her eyes wander between her friends and perform the usual routine to confirm everypony’s identity. Her friends, though, could hardly wait and as soon as it was clear they all really were who they claimed to be, Rarity started speaking.

“Well? What is it, darling?” she wanted to know while spreading an oily embalming liquid along her front legs and over her face.

Twilight roamed through her head for the right words one more time, then took a deep breath before she started to speak.

“I am considering to take one last journey before the Red Day,” the purple mare stated.

“This close? Are you sure about this?” Cadence wondered, her tone already getting filled with worry.

“No, I’m not sure. That’s why I asked you to come here. I want to discuss my idea. There are a few questionable things I intend to do and I would like to hear your thoughts on it and I want all of us to decide on it together,” Twilight replied.

“What do you have in mind, Twily?” Shining Armor asked.

“I want to go to the ancestral homeland of ponies, to the city of Arcania. Alone, so I can travel fast by teleporting myself. I will be visiting the tomb of Starswirl The Bearded,” Twilight explained.

“By yerself? That seems mighty dangerous, Sugarcube,” Applejack commented.

“What do you intend to do there?” Celestia wondered.

“This is the questionable part. I guess I will just be blunt and speak it straight out. I want to attempt bringing Starswirl back to life so I can ask him questions regarding our situation,” Twilight stated.

Instantly, all eyes went wide open. Rarity stopped oiling herself promptly, her front legs frozen in position and allowing the smeary liquid to fall onto the floor, drop by drop. Fluttershy in particular stared at her friend with an open mouth and an expression of disbelief.

“I know how it sounds, but hear me out first,” Twilight requested. “I know, nopony has ever succeeded to pull this off and it sounds very close to necromancy. But if I have my own theory involving the age spell which, at least to me, seems somewhat promising. Should I actually succeed, we could have the mightiest wizard that ever lived on our side. The knowledge he could share with us would be invaluable. Maybe he could even help me with my arcane magic. Just a mere conversation could share information which can turn this war around for good. Yet, despite it all, we have to keep the moral consequences in mind. Can we carry this ethically or not? That is what I would like to discuss with all of you.”

A short moment of silence and pondering followed. Rarity was the first to break it as she continued with her attempts of self-preservation.

“I don’t know, Twilight. This seems really shady,” she commented.

“The rebels may not take such an act too kindly. It would make us look like we are resorting to similar measures the cult is using,” Luna argued.

“But Twily is right about the advantages. Talking to Starswirl The Bearded… This could change everything!” Shining Armor spoke.

“And having him on our side would make him a valuable ally,” Cadence added.

“What do you think, Celestia?” Applejack asked while still rubbing her chin with a thoughtful expression.

Celestia, of all, seemed to be the least shaken by Twilight’s radical plan. She quickly started showing composure again and her expression relaxed.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to think of either direction. Doing the right thing had always been of highest priority to me. But ironically, that lead me to making many regrettable mistakes and ended up in me performing questionable acts myself. It is clear that just the very act of attempting to bring him back will have consequences. Acting against nature is always inadvisable, no matter how powerful you are. We all should be aware of that,” she stated.

“I know. But another thing to keep in mind is the importance of our cause. This is by no means meant to sound arrogant or self-centered, but… If the rebellion fails, there is nothing left to stop Blueblood. Others may rise over time to attempt to take him down, but he will be untouchable by then. We can’t let that happen. It is now or never,” Twilight argued.

“But bringing a pony back from the dead? Starswirl wouldn’t be much different to me I believe,” Rarity spoke, using her magic to keep her mane away while she coated her ears.

“Starswirl lived and died long before Maledictum Insania. Nightmare Moon won’t be able to interfere and make him come out as an undead. This is one of those rare cases where we can only have two outcomes. Either I succeed or I don’t. It is clear that I will have to study the age spell intensely before I go and will have to practise it for a while, maybe even modify it,” Twilight explained.

“Nonetheless, this is very short-term. Even if you teleport yourself, it is quite the journey to the ancestral homeland. What if you don’t make it back in time? We need you here,” Luna worried.

“I know. I can’t guarantee I will be fast enough. This whole plan feels wrong and a part of me just wants to abandon it. But another part of me… I can’t really explain it. It’s like… this is what everything has been building up to for me. Like I am meant to do that. It is almost as if the answers are calling for me. I don’t know… maybe I’m just losing it again…” the purple mare figured.

“Or perhaps this is your destiny, calling for you,” Celestia commented.

“So you think she should go?” Luna wondered.

“I personally can’t come up with a clear opinion about the plan. This is far outside of what I would consider to be right, but I am not in charge anymore. I stepped down for a reason: Because I realized that the true potential and authority no longer lies within me, but within my faithful student. In dark times like these, it is hard to find anything you can still believe in. But I believe in you, Twilight Sparkle. I believe in you more than I ever believed in anything I have ever done. Right from the first moment on I laid my eyes upon you, I knew you were special. Not just for your arcane abilities. I always felt this urge in you, this force pushing you forward. I did everything I could to guide you around obstacles and make you grow capable of overcoming anything that stands in your way by yourself. I always knew that there was something fate had in store for you. If this is what you think needs to be done from the very bottom of your core, then I have no reason to doubt your judgement. Just look how far you have gotten us, just by doing what you think was the right thing to do. So go forth, my faithful student. Follow your destiny,” Celestia stated with a gentle smile on her face.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel bashful from this enormous praise in front of all her friends. Her purple cheeks gained a deep red blush. A part of her felt like sinking down into her chair, since she didn’t think she deserved this. But part of her also felt immensely proud and honored from the sheer trust she was given. The approving smiles of the others only made these feelings worse. Twilight soon pushed her feelings aside and focused on returning to the subject, placing her front legs on the table and leaning over it.

“Alright. What do the rest of you think? Should I go? Should I do this?” the purple mare wanted to know.

Applejack just smirked, tilted her head slightly and adjusted her hat before replying.

“Celestia pretty much summed it all up. If ya feel like ya have to do this, then do it. You got mah support, Sugarcube,” she replied.

It seemed like the others had very similar thoughts, as they all nodded in approval. Again, Twilight felt sheepish. So much trust. So much believe in her. All this time, it just seemed natural for her to do as many good things as she could, despite the circumstances and risking her life over and over again. Being rewarded like this, just with this gesture… No, she needed to focus. Twilight took a deep breath and relaxed again.

“Okay then. I will try to get this all done as quickly as possible. Coming back in time will be my highest priority. That’s all for now and… From the bottom of my heart… Thank you. All of you. You are such good friends. I don’t know what I would do without you,” she spoke with a warm smile and a few glimmering tears in her eyes.

Quickly, the leadership circle gathered up around the purple mare. Everypony hugged her while she hugged them all back. Then the meeting ended and all left the meeting room. Fluttershy went on her own way down a corridor. She only took a few steps before the rest of her friends were all gone. She stood alone, staring at nothing. Her focus turned to the wall next to her, watching her own reflection in the crystal. Then her head lowered to the heart pin on her cloak, staring at it for what felt like ages, sunken in thought.