Choice. It was a word that meant many things to many people. For some, it meant freedom. The means to make your own decisions and have the kind of life that you want. For others, there was a less happy meaning. In that case of those individuals, choice meant neither happiness, nor freedom, but rather a means to make sure that what happened to them were merely the lesser of two evils. Twilight, at this one moment in time, found herself, sadly, very much entrenched in the latter category. She stood there, looking upon the imposing form of her future self, her eyes never straying from the elder alicorn, who looked down at her in a manner that would give even dragons a sense of foreboding. In this moment, Twilight too had been given a choice, although, in truth, even the most foolish of ponies could see it for what it really was; an ultimatum. She stood at a crossroads, with two clear paths before her. Down one path, there was a life of willing compliance, doing what her future self wanted her to do, whenever she wanted her to do it. And down the other, a dead end, quite literally. If she took that second path, it was all over for her. Her mind, her soul, her very life, would be snuffed out in an instant, replaced instead by the mare before her, who would make her mortal shell do whatever it was she wanted. No matter which path she chose, she had lost.

In the silence of this moment, the young unicorn felt one thing and one thing only; shame. But, it was not just shame at having failed to ascend, nor was it shame that she now had such an impossible decision before her. No, she was ashamed at everything that had happened since this so-called "deal", this poisoned chalice, had come to her. From day one, she had believed she was doing the right thing, for her friends, for her family, and for all of Equestria. Whenever she’d felt doubt, she would just keep telling herself that, over and over again; it's for them. But now, at what appeared to be the end of this journey, she now realised that she had been nudged and prodded the entire time. If it was simply a case of her falling for some kind of mind control, and being too weak to resist it, that was one thing. But, as she lamented, that was not the case. Instead, what she had experienced was no control on the part of her older self, but instead, subtlety. Twilight, from the moment she'd stepped into Ponyville, had carried a devil on her shoulder, and had listened to every word she'd whispered, thinking it to be the words of an angel. That was the real shame in all of this. Not that she was controlled, and not that she couldn't ascend, but that she had been so gullible, and had committed unforgiveable acts because of it. And now, at the end of it all, she would pay the price for it.

Despair would have been an understatement at this point, and it wasn't just because of what she knew would happen to her. No, there was a bigger issue at stake here, and that was what her mind kept focusing on throughout this entire ordeal. No matter what her older self would get as Twilight's answer, her friends would suffer. The alicorn had said it herself, that no matter what her friends wanted, or how much they protested, she would use her powers to ensure their security, most likely to the point of practically imprisoning them in their own homes. Their safety, their lives, were what she'd obsessed over. But their happiness? That, she no longer seemed to care for. Twilight could see the scenarios play out in her mind now, of her friends living lives of utter misery because of this, and all of it, because she'd said "yes" to the offer of her older self. Twilight had allowed this to happen, allowed her friends to become at risk, and now, it seemed as if she was powerless to do anything about it. But, in this dark moment, in spite of the overwhelming pressure and sense of hopelessness, there was a spark. A tiny glimmer in her heart. A new possibility, that now began to grow. But, Twilight now looked up, seeing her older self step forward, glaring down at the younger as she spoke in her usual, authoritative voice.

"So, Twilight...what is it to be? Your compliance...or your devastation?"

For the last few minutes, Twilight's expression had been one of sadness, even regret. But now, with this spark in her mind, and the growing of this new possibility, her expression changed. It was not a look of joy, nor victory, but of acceptance. She knew what she had to do. Her actions had caused all of this. And now, her actions would end it. Closing her eyes, Twilight began to concentrate harder than she ever had in her entire life, much to the confusion of her older self. There was silence and inaction all around, for a time, before, at last, something began to happen. There was an aura, all around the young unicorn, causing surprise in the elder alicorn, who had no idea what was going on. The latter let out a chuckle, perhaps thinking her younger self was going to try and attack her. But, she soon found that this was not the case, for within moments, something extraordinary began to happen. The immense darkness around them began to crack, letting in light the same colour as Twilight's aura, much to the horror of the alicorn. The latter began to back away, looking at Twilight as that same aura glowed brighter and brighter, just as the cracks continued to grow all around them. Then, to top everything else, the older Twilight began to see that same glow around herself, prompting her to finally speak.

"Wha...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, seeing the fear on the face of her older self, before speaking calmly.

"I am taking your second choice...devastation."

Her eyes narrowed as she continued.

"From the moment this all began...I have put my friends at risk. But now...no more. No more will I let you speak poison in my ears. No more will I give you the chance to twist the world to your liking. No more."

Sadness crossed her face with her next words.

"No matter which path, my loved ones’ lives would be ruined. No matter which way I carried on, I would be little more than their jailer. I will not allow that to happen. So...I will end."

Yet again, she frowned as she looked to her older self.

"And I am taking you with me!"

The alicorn gained a look of fear, before slowly changing to one of fury as she stamped her hoof down on the ground.

"You fool! Do you not realize what you're doing?! You would end your life?! Just to stop me?!"

Twilight gave a grim nod.

"I would. For I would rather die as the mare I was, the mare I should have been...than live on and become a monster like you!"

The older mare stood aghast at that, shocked by the defiance on display before her. And yet, she was not simply willing to lay down and accept what her younger self was doing, for mere seconds later, she frowned, causing her own horn to glow. In an instant, there was a battle of wills within this nether realm. Unicorn against alicorn. One alive and whole. The other, a fragment, though still powerful. The intensity of the power on display here was mesmerizing, as both mares struggled to maintain their magical force. For a moment, Twilight feared that this would be a contest that she would lose, but, eventually, her mind conjured up images of the very people she was fighting for. Her friends. Her family. Her wise mentor. Her son. And those thoughts, those reasons for her fight, gave her new strength, deep within, urging her onwards to push against this fallen princess. As for the latter, she now found herself on the back hoof, her power failing with every moment, until at long last, the older gave way to the younger, and the alicorn's power finally failed, flailing her to the ground. She may have had the power to snuff out Twilight’s mind before, but now that this place, Twilight’s life itself was being undone, she had no means to stop it. As she watched, seeing this realm of Twilight's mind and soul begin to shatter from the impact of her defeat, all she could do was watch as her younger self stepped forward, speaking with an authority that was once hers.

"I have made many mistakes, Princess. I tried to change the future, and in so doing, changed my friends from who they were supposed to be. If, in this whole mess, I can do just one thing right...let it be this."

The defeated princess stared at her, and for the first time, didn't know what to do. The cracks in the realm around them continued to grow, and soon enough, it would be over for both of them. Finally, she called out, her voice desperate, almost pleading.

"If you do this...you'll never see them again!"

Twilight's face became one of sadness as she heard that, knowing full well the truth behind it.

"I know. But...it's like you said, Princess. Our loved ones will finally be safe..."

The young mare's eyes began to change, filling with rage and fury at the sight of her older self.

"...from US!!!"

With those final words, Twilight let out a final surge of power, and in an instant, the shattering began. All over, magic began to cave into the once-darkened realm, and the elder Twilight began to look on with horror as it happened. She tried casting a spell as she rose to her hooves, but it was too late for her, as the magic that now came crashing down consumed her entirely. She let out a loud scream as she began to become entrapped by the vast powers around her, not unlike how Nightmare Moon was once vanquished by the Elements of Harmony. She may have been a piece of an alicorn's soul, but against the power that now surrounded her, she was simply overwhelmed. And so, the young Twilight looked on, her face one of melancholy, as the one she was once destined to become started to fade away, looking more and more terrified as it happened. She became akin to a ghost, gradually growing harder to see as the magic crashed around her. Eventually, like a wisp of smoke, she faded entirely, her final screams now echoing from Twilight's hearing. As for her, it was as she planned. The magic of this place spared nopony, and soon, she too began to become surrounded by the power she had unleashed here. Like her counterpart, she was surrounded by it, but, unlike the latter, let out no scream. She could feel herself slipping, inch by inch, until, at long last, it was as if she was not there at all. In her final moments, seeing her own end, brought on by her own hoof, she shed a single tear.

And thus, she closed her eyes, waiting for the end, only to hear, in that last instant, a voice.

"Well...that was quite a display, little one."